To set up a scholarship at Texas A&M, you work through the Texas A&M Foundation, which manages all private gifts to the university. You and a Foundation development officer draft a gift agreement that names the scholarship, sets who it supports, and spells out how it will be funded and administered. For endowed scholarships, the minimum is $25,000, and you can spread payments across up to five years to reach it.1Texas A&M Foundation. Support Student Scholarships Smaller gifts don’t need a formal agreement; a pledge card, letter, or even a memo-line note on your check can document your intent.2Texas A&M Foundation. Cash Gifts
Endowed or Pass-Through
The first real decision is whether you want the gift to last forever or reach students right away.
An endowed scholarship is invested in the Foundation’s Long-Term Investment Pool. The principal stays intact, and only earnings pay out — currently 4% of the fund’s five-year average market value each year.3Texas A&M Foundation. Exhibit A Gift Fees A $25,000 endowment produces roughly $1,000 a year for a student. Modest, but perpetual.
A pass-through scholarship distributes the full gift directly, either in one year or across a set period. Nothing is invested long-term. If you want visible impact now rather than a permanent fund, this is the simpler route.
Minimums and Named Programs
Beyond the baseline $25,000 endowed scholarship, the Foundation runs several named programs, each with its own price:
- Foundation Excellence Award: $10,000 funds a one-time four-year award; $50,000 permanently endows the same structure.
- Endowed Opportunity Award: $25,000 endows annual stipends for one student across four years.
- Graduate Fellowship: $25,000 minimum, with award size scaling to the endowment balance.
- President’s Endowed Scholarship: $100,000, four years of annual support for one student.
- Regents’ Scholarship: $100,000, same four-year structure.
- Aggie Veteran Scholarship: three tiers from $25,000 to $100,000.
The Foundation also lists programs for Corps of Cadets members and global study.1Texas A&M Foundation. Support Student Scholarships Your development officer can tell you which tier fits your budget and the kind of student you want to help.
What Goes Into the Gift Agreement
Before you contact the Foundation, pull together the pieces a development officer will need to draft the document:
- Your full legal name and contact information. Individual donors typically provide a Social Security number and corporate donors an Employer Identification Number so the Foundation can issue a proper tax-deductible receipt.
- The scholarship’s name. Most donors name an award after a family member, a graduating class, or a meaningful date. This name tracks every future contribution and every award tied to the fund.
- Fund type: endowed or pass-through, and which program tier if you’re using one.
- Payment schedule: lump sum, multi-year pledge (up to five years for endowments), or a mix that includes employer matching.4Texas A&M Foundation. How To Create an Endowment
- Eligibility criteria, covered below.
Once terms are settled, you sign the agreement and send your initial payment. Mail goes to the Foundation at 401 George Bush Drive, College Station, TX 77840.5Texas A&M Foundation. Contact the Texas A&M Foundation Credit card gifts can go through the My Aggieland portal, and a development officer in a specific college’s office can also route the paperwork for you.
Setting Who the Scholarship Helps
You choose the student profile. Common criteria include a minimum GPA, a specific major or college, classification (freshman, transfer, graduate), and whether financial need is required. Need-based criteria usually require a completed FAFSA on file so the financial aid office can verify eligibility.
The Foundation reviews donor-defined criteria against university policies and federal nondiscrimination laws, including Title IX.6Texas A&M University System. Federal Civil Rights Laws Criteria that would restrict awards by race or sex in a way that conflicts with institutional standards need to be revised before the scholarship can be activated. Your development officer will flag issues during drafting, so this rarely stalls the process.
Ways to Fund It
The Foundation accepts cash, checks, credit cards, publicly traded securities, donor-advised fund distributions, real estate, and cryptocurrency.7Texas A&M Foundation. Ways to Give If you’re paying an endowment over several years, each installment should reference the scholarship’s fund name or account number, and the Foundation won’t start the annual payout until the principal hits the program minimum.
Appreciated Securities
Gifting appreciated stocks or bonds often beats writing a check. You get a charitable deduction for the securities’ fair market value on the gift date and avoid the capital gains tax you’d have owed on a sale. The deduction is capped at 30% of your adjusted gross income in a single year, with unused amounts carrying forward up to five more years.2Texas A&M Foundation. Cash Gifts Contact your development officer before transferring shares so the Foundation can send its brokerage details and match the shares to your agreement. If your securities are worth less than you paid, you’re usually better off selling, claiming the capital loss, and donating the proceeds.
Real Estate and Life Estates
The Foundation accepts residential and commercial property, farm and ranch land, forest land, oil and gas interests, and mineral rights. Each property is evaluated for marketability and environmental concerns, so expect more lead time than a cash gift. A retained life estate lets you deed property to the Foundation now, keep living on or using it for life, and take a charitable deduction based on the property’s value and your age.8Texas A&M Foundation. Real Estate
Any noncash gift above $500 requires IRS Form 8283 with your tax return, and property valued above $5,000 needs a qualified appraisal.9Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 8283
Employer Matching
Many companies match employee charitable gifts. The Foundation’s “Let’s Check” tool, powered by Double the Donation, lets you look up your employer’s program.10Texas A&M Foundation. Matching Gifts If your company isn’t listed, ask HR directly. Matching dollars count toward the endowment minimum, so a $25,000 pledge can get there faster with a corporate match layered in.4Texas A&M Foundation. How To Create an Endowment
Bequest
You can also set up a scholarship to be funded after your lifetime. Your attorney drafts language in your will or living trust directing cash, a percentage of your estate, or specific property to the Foundation for your named scholarship.11Texas A&M Foundation. The Power of Planned Giving A bequest can satisfy the $25,000 endowment minimum the same as a lifetime gift. Tell the Foundation about the planned gift so your development officer can help draft the criteria in advance, even though funding will arrive later.
Fees to Expect
The Foundation charges an annual management fee of 1.25% of the Long-Term Investment Pool’s five-year average market value to cover operating costs.3Texas A&M Foundation. Exhibit A Gift Fees Credit card gifts carry a separate 3% processing fee. Neither fee reduces the amount reported on your IRS receipt or your lifetime Texas A&M giving total.12Texas A&M Foundation. FAQs
After You Submit
Once the Foundation has the signed agreement and your initial payment, it reviews the criteria against university policy and federal civil rights law, then loads the scholarship into the university’s financial aid system so the aid office can start matching applicants. This usually takes several weeks. When the first recipient is selected, you’ll get a notification that often includes a short profile of the student. For endowed funds, you’ll also receive periodic reports on the fund’s balance, investment performance, and the students who received awards.