Our Purpose

Supporting the University

One of the Investment Office’s core objectives is to generate income and financially support the many educational, research and enterprise programmes and needs of the University's faculty, students and staff.

Prof. Tan Eng Chye
President, NUS

"As the National University of Singapore (NUS) continues to strive for excellence in education, research, and innovation, our endowment funds have become increasingly vital in a volatile and evolving world. These funds ensure the long-term wellbeing of the University and sustain our commitments, particularly in providing financial aid, high-quality education, groundbreaking research, and support for entrepreneurship initiatives. Today’s gifts lay the foundation for NUS to remain a leading global university where students and faculty thrive in a vibrant, enriching, and innovative environment, benefiting future generations to come."

Mr Tan Kian Woo
Chief Financial Officer, NUS

"Thanks to generous gifts from benefactors and matching grants from the government, the University’s endowment has grown over the years. The endowment and other funds are carefully invested with the aim of generating a sustained stream of income over the long term so that the investment returns can be steadily deployed to fund many meaningful initiatives and programmes, such as scholarships and bursaries for students, professorships, research projects, across NUS."

Thomas Coffman, MD
Dean, Duke-NUS Medical School

"The enduring support from our endowment at Duke-NUS Medical School is pivotal in advancing our mission to transform medicine and improve lives. It empowers our faculty and staff to pursue ground-breaking research, fosters educational excellence, and underwrites initiatives that prepare the next generation of healthcare leaders. This financial foundation not only nurtures our capacity to innovate but also ensures that we remain at the forefront of medical advances and public health improvements in Singapore and beyond."

The perpetual nature of the endowment allows the IVO certain advantages as an investor. 

The endowment invests for perpetuity across diversified asset classes such as public equity, hedge funds, and fixed income. It also invests significantly in less liquid, higher returning asset classes such as private equity, venture capital and real estate funds. The endowment is structured to weather short-term volatility and generate robust medium to long-term returns.

To achieve this, the Investment Office partners with best-in-class managers across the globe.  

Growth of an endowment fund comes from two sources: investment returns, and gifts and donations. There are two principal challenges to real endowment growth: inflation and excess spending. Balancing these four elements is the crucial goal of the fund's policymakers.

   

NUS Giving

 

NUS Giving - The Opportunity

You can make a meaningful impact on society by making a gift to support student, academic, research, or entrepreneurial programmes of your choice in NUS.

Gifts to the University provide charitable tax deductions (250% of the donated sum) for Singapore tax residents and allow NUS to apply for Singapore Government Matching Grants (1:1 of the donated sum).

You can make your gift expendable and allow the University to use the donated sum for your chosen programme. You also have an option to endow your gift, where the University invests the donated sum and only uses the investment income to fund the designated programme.

For more information on how you can leverage NUS programmes to achieve your philanthropic goals, please contact NUS Development Office at askDVO@nus.edu.sg
How to Give