As of the end of 2020 the endowment of Camp Belknap stood at $4.75 million.
We have been able to consistently grow this amount over the past several years, through a combination of continued support from our loyal donors, and prudent fiscal management.
Nonetheless, we need to grow that number substantially to support the long-term financial stability of Belknap. These strategies require a strong endowment. As it is today, Belknap depends on the endowment to manage tuition and expenses and to maintain our property. Belknap draws each year a percentage of the income from the endowment to help offset camp’s expenses. And most important, the endowment is a key enabler in keeping our tuition price low so that we can welcome boys from all socio-economic backgrounds. With this in mind, we can see Belknap’s endowment is significantly lower than that of many of our peer organizations.
Our endowment is managed by an outside investment firm with oversight from the Board of Trustees’ Finance Committee. The Board’s primary objective is to achieve a total return sufficient to ensure that capital is preserved and enhanced over time both in real and nominal terms, while at the same time providing dependable sources of liquid financial assets for Camp Belknap’s annual operations and programs. Belknap’s endowment draw policy is a conservative 3% of a five-year trailing average.
“Our campain goal is to raise an additional
$1.0 million toward the endowment. This would grow our total endowment to ~$6 million”