BW Endowment: Gifts that Help Forever

The BW Endowment links past, current and future generations. Our endowment is composed of individual funds established through charitable gifts held in perpetuity and invested in a manner that protects the principal. The investment income provides a stable funding source for scholarships, professorships, program funds, research funds and other special purpose funds.

Gifts to the endowment provide financial stability, encourage innovation, and allow for flexibility to help BW move forward in important ways. Since endowment gifts continue to give over time, they ensure the long-term well-being of the University. In other words, your gifts will help enable generations of students to benefit from a higher quality of education, now and in the future.

Endowed Scholarships

Baldwin Wallace has a long history of endowed scholarship support from alumni, faculty, trustees and friends. More than 380 named scholarships provide in excess of $3.1 million each year, helping students attend, persist and graduate from BW. The minimum amount needed to establish an endowed scholarship is $50,000 which can be funded with a single gift or built over time.

Consider Your Impact

We ask donors to consider the impact they hope to make through their named fund. The answer often guides their philanthropic investment in BW. The chart below provides information about the expected annual distribution available for scholarship awards, based on endowment size:

Annual amount available for scholarship awards	Endowment value
$100,000	$2,000,000
$50,000	$1,000,000
$25,000	$500,000
$12,500	$250,000
$5,000	$100,000
$2,500	$50,000

Donors may choose to make an undesignated gift to the endowment, contribute to an existing endowed fund or direct their philanthropy in a personally meaningful way to support a variety of initiatives, including:

Scholarships
Program and research funds
Professorships and faculty development funds

Your Gift to the BW Endowment

Each BW experience is unique. Our goal is to make sure all members of the BW community have the opportunity to provide endowment support in a personally meaningful way.

We offer a wide range of opportunities for you to carry forward your own legacy or honor a loved one:

Scholarship endowments create a perennial, targeted source of funding for students.
Faculty endowments provide direct faculty support including endowed or named chairs that enable BW to attract and keep the brightest and most engaging minds.
Program endowments to initiate or expand opportunities for students, within and beyond the classroom.
Unrestricted endowment funds or gifts to existing endowment that support University priorities and special needs.

Endowment funds can be established in a way that works best for you, including:

Outright gifts of cash or appreciated securities, either all at once or built over time.
Planned gifts that dedicate a portion of your estate to create an endowment legacy.
Combination gifts of outright and planned gift support.

As you explore ways to make an impact at BW, we welcome your questions and conversation. For more information, please call the Center for Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement at (440) 826-2104.

Examples of Recent Endowed Funds

Bob and Linda Helmer Scholarship for Access and Success

On the occasion of President Bob Helmer's retirement from Baldwin Wallace in June 2024, the BW Board of Trustees, along with members of the BW community, established the Bob and Linda Helmer Scholarship for Access and Success. The scholarship provides students with encouragement and financial assistance to persist and graduate from BW while knowing their dreams and goals are within reach.

Frank W. Hill, III Scholarship

Frank Hill '70 graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College with a degree in psychology. After a career at AT&T, he joined the New York City Transit Authority Department of Subways and rose to the position of line superintendent. He spoke often and with pride of his alma mater. The scholarship is intended to help students who demonstrate financial need.

William '16 and Velma '15 Muntis Conservatory Scholarship

Ruth Muntis '47 honored her parents, William '16 and Velma Sabin '15 Muntis by establishing this scholarship. William, a violinist, and Velma, a pianist, met at BW, married and raised five children. Ruth also majored in music education at BW and taught in public schools throughout Ohio and Michigan. The scholarship supports students enrolled in the BW Conservatory of Performing Arts.

PNC Scholarship for Success

PNC Financial Services Group created this scholarship to assist low-income students in achieving a college education. With additional scholarship support, BW students are more likely to graduate, obtain employment, strengthen the workforce and positively impact the community. The scholarship is intended for high need students with a record of community service and campus involvement.

Dr. Russell H. Plumb, Jr. '65 Scholarship

The Dr. Russell H. Plumb, Jr. '65 Scholarship was established by Nancy Plumb Tessman '67 and Jessica Plumb Farmer to honor their brother. Russ transferred to BW as a sophomore where he excelled as a chemistry major. He then earned his Master's and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in water chemistry. This scholarship is intended to help transfer students interested in science.

Reep Clark Success and Innovation Scholarship

Dr. Michael Reep '93, a dermatologist, and Mr. Wyatt Clark, speakers' bureau coordinator for the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, are fulfilling their passion for helping BW students by creating a scholarship representing their areas of expertise, the health sciences and STEM.

The Professor Renee Zirkle '48 Scholarship

Anna Belle Bonds '65 majored in French at BW and credits her French professor, Renee Zirkle '48, with inspiring her to study abroad, an experience that changed her life. Anna Belle created this scholarship to support BW students who seek experiential learning opportunities abroad during their time at BW.