Support the College
Support the College
Support for our work comes in many forms – partnerships, collaborations, sponsorships, direct contributions, gifts, grants, and research funds. Although UNC Charlotte is a state-supported institution, state funding does not cover the College of Arts + Architecture’s total budget. The difference is generated by investment income (endowments), student fees, and private gifts from individuals and corporations. Your support means we can provide expanded degree programs and community/campus partnerships while attracting the brightest and best arts and design students and faculty.
see your support in action
“I am under various scholarships and am truly grateful to be receiving the extra funding. It has been a relief knowing that some of my educational finances are taken care of, which allows me to push myself further and take up opportunities that are in the form of education or career advancement. I hope to continue earning more scholarships and be able to show those who generously donated their capital to my education that I am doing something worthwhile with my degree.“
Leonie Eisenring
BA in Architecture
“Within the Department of Art & Art History, I am a recipient of the MacKillop Scholarship. This type of support has benefited my academic experience by easing financial pressures and broadening my opportunities within the college. I have also received scholarships that helped me study abroad in Ireland with the art department. In general, these awards have significantly enhanced my artistic and educational journey.”
Sydney Carmer
BFA in Art in Digital Media and Illustration, and minors in Art History and Psychology
“As a music student in the College of Arts + Architecture, I have the Belk Performing Arts scholarship, the Marching Band scholarship, and the Vickie and Gene Johnson marching band scholarship. All of these scholarships really help me when it comes to taking job opportunities and in my grad school preparation.”
Christopher Smith
BA in Instrumental Performance
“Receiving a scholarship has allowed me to focus on the work I came here to do, rather than constantly worrying about whether or not I’ll be able to afford my classes… It has also lessened the money burden my parents had placed on them from me attending college. This is something that’s dear to me because it means there’s more room for my three little brothers to be covered for their own college/career journeys.”
ZiYonna Brown
BA in Theatre and a Minor in Psychology
“The most important benefit of being a scholarship recipient is, of course, the ability to afford higher education, which is something that I am extremely grateful for. Additionally, the volunteer duties required for these scholarships allow me to be more involved with the local dance community and make connections with those I see every day as well as people that I wouldn’t have normally had the opportunity to work with!”
Annabelle Luna
BA in Applied Dance & BS in Political Science with a Professional Training Certificate with Charlotte Ballet
methods of giving
Your gifts of time, leadership, and financial support provide invaluable opportunities to the College of Arts + Architecture. Learn about the different ways you can make a difference.
ANNUAL GIVING
Each year, UNC Charlotte contacts College of Arts + Architecture alumni through our telefundraising campaign. Gifts made during this campaign provide vital operating support for priority initiatives within the College. By investing in the College of Arts + Architecture, as an alumnus you demonstrate your support of the College and its mission. Your annual gifts support such things as: student scholarships; travel for competitions and course enhancement; guest lecturers and guest artists; and program support.
MAJOR GIFTS
Major gifts serve two primary purposes at the College of Arts + Architecture at UNC Charlotte: they create long-term financial stability for the college, and they provide opportunities to merge donors’ interests with the college’s needs and initiatives. Donors who support the college through major gifts may designate their support toward a specific purpose such as a scholarship or program that matches their personal interests with the college’s initiatives. Major gifts also provide a means for recognition that may either honor or memorialize a special person of the donor’s choosing.
Areas of support for major gifts may support scholarships, faculty development or research, international studies, or guest artist or lecture series. Major gifts fall into the following categories:
- Endowment Gifts: An endowment gift is an enduring legacy investment that supports the future efforts of the college and is a gift that lives in perpetuity. Endowment gifts are invested and managed by the UNC Charlotte Foundation. At UNC Charlotte a minimum of $25,000 is required to fund an endowment and may be paid through a multi-year pledge. No distribution will be made until the fund is fully endowed and has achieved a 12-month earning cycle. In accordance with UNC Charlotte Foundation’s spending regulations, only income from the gift’s principal may be expended. Currently that spending rate is 4.5% with the remainder of the earnings being reinvested into the principal of the fund to help build the corpus. By doing so, this will provide for future generations at UNC Charlotte.
- Restricted Current Use Gifts: Gifts may be designated for any purpose that contributes to the college’s mission and initiatives. Such designations may be for a named scholarship, faculty research, or fellowships. Unlike endowed gifts, restricted current use funds are not invested and are depleted over a specific period of time. The most common type of current use gift is an annual scholarship. Named annual scholarships may be established with a minimum annual gift of $1,000 and a three-year commitment to ensure continuity within the program it supports.
- Unrestricted Gifts: Some of the most useful and flexible gifts to the college are those that are unrestricted. Unrestricted gifts are used to support those opportunities that present themselves throughout the year and that benefit the entire college, including student travel, general scholarship funds, teaching needs, and studio/lab upgrades.
ESTATE AND PLANNED GIVING
Many UNC Charlotte alumni and friends choose to support the university’s work through planned gifts, which include gifts of marketable securities such as stocks and bonds; estate gifts through a bequest in a will or through a trust; charitable gift annuities or charitable remainder trusts that provide a lifetime income stream to the donor; and other gifts of real estate or tax-deferred retirement assets.
Planned gifts provide financial flexibility and various tax benefits. Planned gifts also provide an effective means of financial stewardship, redirecting money to needs that would otherwise become lost to estate taxes, capital gains, or income tax. Because a planned gift requires careful consideration of a donor’s personal, financial and charitable goals and desires, we encourage you to consult with your financial, tax or legal advisor.
By making your planned gift to UNC Charlotte, and in honor of the founder of UNC Charlotte, you’ll become a member of the prestigious Bonnie Cone Society. Membership in this society recognizes those individuals who have included the university in their long-term financial and estate planning. The following are various planned giving options:
- Bequests from Wills
- Charitable Gift Annuities
- Life Insurance & Annuity Contracts
- Charitable Remainder Trusts
- Qualified Retirement Plans
- Retained Life Estates
MATCHING GIFT PROGRAMS
Does your employer (or your spouse’s employer) have a matching gift program? Corporate matching gifts can double, or even triple, the value of your donation. They do not however, pay down your pledge or your pledge balance. To help increase your gift’s impact, please be sure to check with your human resources department to see if your company matches gifts of its employees
making a gift is simple
Making a gift to the College of Arts + Architecture is simple! Please indicate which part or activity of the College you are interested in supporting. We seek financial support focused on the following areas:
- Student Scholarships: Both need and merit-based support for our students is the most critical need to help build our programs.
- Research and Special Programs: We produce work both applied and experimental in nature that requires special funding for artistic and scientific collaborations.
- Publications: The CoA+A intends to publish its work in print and alternative media.
- International Study: The College is committed to the value and learning outcome of international programs and needs support to maximize the exposure of students to these opportunities.
Questions about how you can make a difference?
For your convenience, UNC Charlotte’s advancement staff is pleased to offer additional information or assistance. Please contact Leslie Antionel, Major Gifts Officer, for help.
- Email: lantonie@charlotte.edu
- Office Phone: (704) 687-7223
- Cell: (214) 783-6906