Key facts

Reported value

USD 146.2 million

As of

June 30, 2026

Portfolio

Foundation endowment net assets

Location

Big Rapids, MI

Spending policy

4% on the stated policy base

Data through FY2026

Balance reference

Endowment size and reporting scope

For The Ferris Foundation, the FY2025 survey records assets of USD 131.937 million. This is a closing asset balance. New gifts, investment results and distributions can all change it during the year. The respondent may hold endowed funds directly or through an affiliated organization. Restrictions attached to those funds continue to govern their use after they are invested together. Total institutional assets can also include buildings and operating resources. Survey scope and definitions

The official USD 146.244 million figure and the FY2025 survey's USD 131.937 million describe their respective dates and reporting categories. The official balance retains its stated label, foundation endowment net assets. Official financial scope

Source: NACUBO · Data through FY2026

The FY2025 survey value for The Ferris Foundation is USD 131.937 million, compared with USD 127.499 million for FY2024. The reported balance rose by USD 4.438 million, or 3.48%, from FY2024. It includes changes in investments as well as additions and distributions. NACUBO explicitly distinguishes this change in market value from an investment rate of return. FY2025 respondent values and definitions

The reported endowment changed from USD 65.226 million in FY2016 to USD 131.937 million in FY2025, a difference of USD 66.711 million. This series measures year-end assets after gifts and distributions. NACUBO historical workbook

Spending policy and payout

The foundation's policy makes 4% of a 12-quarter moving average available to spend. Another 1% of that average may offset foundation administration, calculated at December 31. The audit reports appropriations for expenditures, net of administrative expenses, of $4.836383 million in FY2026 and $6.182748 million in FY2025. Underwater funds are subject to spending restrictions. Spending disclosure

Source: ferris.edu · Data through FY2026

Distribution report

For The Ferris Foundation, an appropriation can precede a beneficiary's expenditure. Its timing can differ from the cash expense recorded by the institution. Spending measures

Governance and investment office

The Ferris Foundation processes gifts for Ferris State University and Kendall College of Art and Design. Its board establishes the foundation's investment and spending policy. The audit describes a total-return approach and diversification across public and private equity investments, with funds accounted for according to donor restrictions. Investment governance

Federal excise tax on investment income

Public Law 119-21 changed Section 4968 for tax years beginning after December 31, 2025. Applicable private institutions must have at least 3,000 tuition-paying students in the preceding tax year, with more than half located in the United States, and student-adjusted endowment of at least $500,000. The rates are 1.4% from $500,000 through $750,000 per student, 4% above $750,000 through $2 million, and 8% above $2 million. Enacted law, Section 70415

Section 4968 excludes state colleges and universities described in Section 511(a)(2)(B). Supporting foundations retain their own legal and filing identities, with related-organization rules read alongside the public-university exclusion. A foundation's public endowment value does not, by itself, assign it a private-college tax tier.

A tax rate on net investment income has a different denominator from an endowment payout rate. Section 4968 uses prior-year assets other than those used directly for exempt purposes and specifies how students are counted. Related organizations can affect the calculation. Headline assets divided by a fall enrollment figure do not reproduce every statutory step.

FY2025 size-band comparison

The FY2025 survey value of USD 131.937 million places this respondent in the $100M to $250M band. The published band contains 154 respondents and USD 24.5 billion of aggregate assets. Its average five-year annualized net return is 9.6%, and its ten-year average is 7.4%. NCSE size groups NCSE average net returns

Source: NACUBO · Data through FY2025

NCSE's allocation categories combine strategies with different liquidity and valuation practices. Its Alternatives group can include private capital, hedge funds and real assets. Matching that broad weight would not establish identical holdings. The chart shows the FY2025 NCSE $100M to $250M group's average allocation. Published category weights are shown with an explicit rounding difference so the full bar totals 100%. NCSE allocation definitions

Public records and reporting dates

The ProPublica nonprofit API identifies the legal filer as Ferris Foundation, EIN 386115813. Its available filing for the year ended June 30, 2023 reports total filer assets of USD 123.419 million, revenue of USD 8.367 million, expenses of USD 7.185 million. These are filer-wide amounts, which can include buildings, operating resources and other assets outside the endowment. The filing period is retained separately from the current investment disclosures. ProPublica structured filing data

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