A MESSAGE FROM Michael Ice
Chair of the URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement Investment Committee
The Investment Committee of the University of Rhode Island Foundation & Alumni Engagement (URIFAE) is proud to report that the endowment reached a record high of $267 million as of June 30, marking the close of fiscal year 2025. The portfolio delivered an impressive, annualized return of 12.2 percent, with U.S. and international equities serving as the primary drivers of this strong performance.
The Investment Committee’s thoughtful portfolio management strategy focuses on sustaining and expanding the endowment funds to support the University’s short-term and long-range goals. In June, the URIFAE Board of Directors voted on a distribution of 3.6 percent to the University, taking into account the performance of the portfolio and the needs of the University. The distribution value of the funds listed in these pages, reflects that rate.
Gifts to academic and research initiatives and student access and programming have driven the University’s consistent growth and widespread recognition. URI was ranked the number one public university in New England by The Wall Street Journal, and achieved the prestigious Carnegie R1 status, ascending to the top tier of U.S. research universities.
URIFAE is grateful for the continued generosity of our alumni and friends in supporting our students and the longstanding mission of the University. This support has propelled our success, and we look forward to a bright future. Thank you.
With best regards,
Michael Ice
FROM OUR STUDENTS
“Scholarship funds allow me to worry less about registering for classes and my housing situation; I can focus on my schoolwork without that stress.”
JAYMORI LEONA RD ’27
CIVIL ENGINEERIN G AND FRENCH
“Getting scholarships has helped to alleviate the financial burden on me and my family. It has allowed me to fully engage with my studies.”
JOSIE ALLRED ’26
ENGLISH LITERATURE AND POLITICAL SCIENCE
$7.8M endowment payout for the 2025–2026 year
1,274 endowed funds managed by URIFAE $267M value of URI endowment as of 6/30/25
913 endowed funds support scholarships
2,944 private scholarships awarded to students
88% of undergraduates receive some form of financial aid (federal, state, private)
ANNUAL ENDOWMENT PAYOUT
The following graph represents the total amount of endowment-generated funds distributed to URI each fiscal year, based on URIFAE’s spending policy, for use over five academic years.
ASSET
ALLOCATION as of June 30, 2025
PORTFOLIO VALUE
As of June 30, 2025, the University of Rhode Island’s endowment portfolio had a market value of $267 million. The market value for each of the past five years on June 30 is represented below.
ANNUALIZED RETURN ON INVESTMENT
The annualized return on URI’s general endowment portfolio, as of June 30, 2025, was 12.2 percent. The returns for the past five years are shown below.
THE INVESTMENT OF URI’S ENDOWMENT
Spending Policy: The endowment spending rate that will be applied in the 2025–2026 academic year is 5.05 percent, which contains both the University distribution and the URIFAE advancement fee. The University payout is 3.6 percent of the market value of the endowment (calculated on a 12-quarter rolling average ending on December 31, 2024). The advancement fee is 1.45 percent. The dollar value of the payout to the University to support gift purposes this year will increase from $7.5 million to $7.8 million.
If you have questions about the endowment in general, please contact Rachel Littlefield, Associate Director, Donor Relations and Engagement at 401.874.7101 or donorrelations@uri.edu.