I need to set up a new gift fund. Do I set up this fund with the Foundation or with The Regents?

The general guidelines are:

• If the donation is (1) a one time gift and the department expects to spend the entire amount within the current fiscal year, (2) a fellowship with a named Fellow and an application process:money really belongs to the fellow, (3) a gift for a Pooled Income Fund, (4) Real Estate NOT TO BE SOLD, (5) gift-in-kind to be added to departmental inventory and not sold, (6) small memorial/honorarium gifts, we recommend you set the fund up with The Regents directly. A new Regents’ gift fund number will be assigned and the funds can be expended for the purpose designated by the donor. Per Office of the President policy, the department will need to complete a Regents’ gift/private grant acceptance form (form UDEV-100 Form #FO2035) for each gift received into a Regents’ gift fund of $1,000 and over. For individual gifts of under $1,000, one form may be used for up to 10 gifts.
• If a department has (1) multiple or regularly recurring gifts (pledges) for the same purpose, (2) gifts of real estate for immediate sale and highly marketable or with special circumstances, (3) art gifts, or (4) gifts of stock, (5) Endowed gifts, (6) most gifts for capital projects, (7) annual benefits/solicitations/fundraiser events (gifts with quid pro quo), (8) Planned/Deferred Gifts (Lead Trusts, Life Estates, Gift Annuities & Charitable Remainder Trusts), the fund should be established with the Foundation. A gift acceptance form is not required for gifts to the Foundation. However, gift letters from the donor(s) are required.

Funds with multiple gifts - the Foundation gift processing and receipting process is automated and streamlined. Each gift is key entered by the gift processing staff and a gift receipt and a thank you note is generated for each gift. The department will not need to complete a gift acceptance form for every donation as is required with gifts processed directly into a Regents’ fund.

Gifts of real estate, art or stock - when gifts of this nature are given, there are various appraisals, valuations and other items involved prior to gift acceptance. The Foundation office is local and has expertise in processing gifts of this nature, thereby ensuring that the monies are made available to the department as quickly and efficiently as possible.
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How do I set up a new fund?

To set up a new fund, please contact the Gift Processing Office: Sandra Stewart at (858) 534-4493, email sstewart@ucsd.edu. She will send you the appropriate forms to complete.

I heard that there is gift fee on all gifts. What is the gift fee for and what does the Foundation do with this money?

Per UCSD Policy and Procedure Manual #410-3, the University assesses a 6% gift fee on ALL gifts processed either through The Regents directly or through the Foundation. These fees are used to fund a portion of the UCSD External Relations budget. The fee is assessed as cash gifts are received in the fund and are immediately transferred out of the Foundation to the University. See here for additional information.
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Okay, now I’ve established a new fund with the Foundation. How do I spend this money?

Foundation fund, a new IFOPAL in the University for a new gift transfer fund will need to be established. On the Request for Funds form, make sure to give us your organization and program number and the first three letters of your departmental index. Once we receive the Request for Funds form, we will establish a new Regents index and fund number which will be attached to your department organization number. Foundation gift transfer funds fall into one of the following ranges: 40000A-59999A, 86500A-86999A. We will notify you of the new fund and index number via electronic mail approximately 3 working days after we receive your request. Once the new IFOPAL is established, all monies transferred from that Foundation fund in the future will be moved to that IFOPAL.

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Why do I have to establish a new IFOPAL in the University for Foundation transfers? Why can’t I just transfer the money to an existing University fund?

Fund accounting rules do not permit the commingling of different “types” of monies. Gifts made directly to a Regents’ fund are considered to be a different “type” of money from funds that are transferred from a Foundation fund because of the difference in the source. Similarly, in the University, General Funds cannot be commingled with Opportunity Funds. The only way you can use the money held in a Foundation fund is to have a University gift transfer fund established which is “married” to your Foundation fund. Monies other than Foundation transfers cannot be deposited into this fund. However, certain expenses incurred in other Regents’ funds can be transferred to the Foundation transfer fund (via NPET or PET). Once you have a transfer fund established, you can use the same processes and forms to expend it as with any other Regents fund, except that it must be spent in accordance with the donor’s wishes.

An analogy is to think of the Foundation fund as a “savings” account and the Regents’ transfer fund as the “checking” account. The two accounts are linked together and when you need to “write checks” from your checking account (expenditures from the Regents’ fund), you will need to transfer funds from your savings account to your checking account.
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Will I be getting a general ledger from the Foundation?

Monthly fund statements are available electronically at the UCSD Foundation Accounting Web site and are updated daily. The statements have been available on a monthly basis since November 1997. A Login ID, password and instruction email will be emailed to you once you have returned the Fund Information Sheet and Economic Interest Forms to Gift Processing.
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I need to know what my balance is right now. How can I get that?

We would be happy to provide an estimate of the fund balance at any time. Please call or e-mail Foundation Accounting. click here

I’m new to the University. The person I replaced used to sign on these funds and I need to be able to access these funds. How do I go about doing that?

Effective April 1, 2009, the UC San Diego Foundation will no longer require a Signature Authorization Sheet for new fund setup or changes in the PI or Business Officer for a fund. Please call or e-mail Foundation Accounting for changes in access. click here
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Can donations be made by using my credit card?

Yes. The UC San Diego Foundation can accept donations made with Mastercard, American Express, Discover and by e-Check. Please note the bank charges a processing fee of approximately 3% for each credit card transaction which is charged to the fund receiving the gift.

To make a credit card or e-Check gift on-line, please go to our secure on-line giving web site at http://www-er.ucsd.edu/givetoucsd/.

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Does the Foundation pay interest on the expendable gifts?

Effective July 1, 2002. All UCSD gift and grant funds no longer receives interest.

This policy can be found in the UCSD Policies and Procedures Manual (PPM) in section 410-10. Click here for a direct link.
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What is the difference between a current fund and an endowment fund?

A current fund is a fund in which all gifts to the fund can be spent for the purpose designated by the donor.

An endowment fund is a fund in which the original amount of the gift (endowment principal) is invested in perpetuity for appreciation in accordance with the Foundation’s Endowment Investment Policy. Only the expendable income allocated to the endowment fund as set by the spending policy may be spent on the purpose designated by the donor. Due to the nature of how endowments are invested (primarily in the stock market), they may earn a total annual return (appreciation plus yield) that is far in excess of the spending policy. Please see for quarterly performance data. (inception = 1986). Total return earned in excess of allocated spending is retained in the investment pool to provide for growth in the principal. This, in turn, increases the market value of the pool, and thus the five year average, which then increases expendable income allocations over the long term. This methodology preserves and enhances the real value of the endowment principal and the protects the expendable income allocations against erosion from inflation.
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Is there a way to find out how much my endowment fund will be allocated for next fiscal year?

Yes, each year in mid July, a letter is made available to each endowment fund administrator with the following fiscal year’s spending allocation projection.

What is the difference between an endowment fund book value versus market value?

The endowment “book value” is the original gifts or “principal” to the fund plus any additions of unspent income requested by the department in accordance with the gift agreement. The endowment “market value” is the current market value of the investment of the endowment principal and represents the appreciation or growth of the principal.

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UC San Diego Foundation Staff Directory click here