Endowment Giving
You can help sustain the Green Music Center as a remarkable community resource for generations to come by making a philanthropic contribution to its endowment funds. With your help, the Green Music Center will continue to:
- Be a leader in arts education, serving teachers and students of all ages across Sonoma County
- Ensure our region has access to diverse and compelling performing arts
- Support the work of established and emerging artists to help engage our communities in exploring big ideas
- Work toward cultural equity and ensure the programs are accessible and relevant in our multicultural world
What exactly is an endowment fund?
The Green Music Center’s endowment funds are permanent, self-sustaining sources of funding invested and managed by the Sonoma State University Foundation. Each year, a portion of the value of the fund is paid out to support the fund’s purpose, and any earnings in excess of this distribution are used to build the fund’s market value. In this way, an endowment fund can grow and provide support for its designated purpose in perpetuity. When you establish an endowment fund or when you make a gift to an existing fund, you create a permanent legacy of support for the Green Music Center.
Why invest in an endowment versus giving an annual gift to programming?
Annual philanthropic contributions are a central revenue source for programming. A gift to the endowment is another way to support the Green Music Center, and often these gifts are larger than annual gifts. Sometimes people choose to plan their endowment giving for the future via their will or trust, or by establishing charitable annuities and other estate planning vehicles.
What will endowment funds be used for?
These funds allow the Green Music Center to present the most inspired programming, and can also be used for research, commissions, and other types of special projects that move the organization forward. In addition, endowment funds allow for some financial stability during economic uncertainty. Ultimately, by building this distribution, the community is ensuring that their Green Music Center has compelling programming into the future.
How can I make a gift to an existing fund?
You can make a gift of any size to our existing endowment funds that provide annual programming support. Visit our Ways to Give page for details on each giving mechanism, and contact us at gmcdevel@sonoma.edu to learn more about the existing funds to which you can make a contribution.
How can I create a named endowment fund?
With a gift of at least $25,000, you can create a named endowment fund that supports the Green Music Center’s programming. Contact us at gmcdevel@sonoma.edu or 707-664-3814 to discuss the process.
