A family endowment that pays tuition — directly to universities and trade schools — every year, in perpetuity. Your gift is never spent. Only its harvest is.
The Nugent Foundation exists so that no student — regardless of family income, faith, race, or circumstance — is priced out of the university or trade school they earned a seat at. We are a permanent endowment: gifts are invested, not spent, and the yield is paid forward, each year, as scholarships sent directly to the institution.
Admission, not background, determines aid.
Principal is preserved — never expended — in perpetuity.
Income and a five‑percent distribution are paid out every fiscal year.
Funds flow directly to accredited universities and trade schools — never to a third‑party loan servicer.
Your contribution — of any size — is credited to the Foundation and routed directly to the endowment account. It is never drawn upon as principal.
Principal is invested in a diversified portfolio governed by a conservative, income‑oriented mandate. The portfolio compounds year over year.
Each fiscal year, 100% of investment income plus 5% of endowment principal is wired directly to partner universities and trade schools as named student scholarships.
Credited against the student’s tuition and fees at their university or trade school. The recipient is notified that the award is from the Nugent Foundation.
$25,000 is always our opening gift to a new partner — a trial cycle to see how the school places the funds. Successful cycles are repeated and scaled.
“Our foundation supports any student who qualifies for financial aid — regardless of race, gender, age, or any other protected category.”
We are a small family office and accredited 501(c)(3) scholarship foundation. Our opening gift to a new partner is always $25,000 — twenty‑five $1,000 scholarships — a trial cycle to see how the institution places the funds.
Recipients are selected by the financial‑aid office. Awards support any student who qualifies for financial aid, without regard to race, gender, age, religion, or any other protected category. We partner with both accredited universities and trade schools.
Start the conversationWe introduce the foundation, the cycle amount, and the criteria. A copy of our 501(c)(3) determination letter is available on request.
To comply with state and IRS requirements, we ask only for each recipient’s first name, last initial, and a non‑identifying student ID. No transcripts, essays, or identifying data.
Funds are wired directly to the university or trade school and credited against student accounts. Students are told the award is from the Nugent Foundation. We never disburse to loan servicers.
A short written acknowledgment of disbursement is all we need to close the cycle. We do not publicize recipient identities.
The idea is simple, and the math is patient.
I run a small family office. A few years ago I decided I’d rather watch our savings pay for other people’s educations than sit in an index fund, and the Nugent Foundation was the way to do it at scale.
We write a $25,000 check to be disbursed to 25 current students, sent directly to a partner university or trade school — students who’ve already been admitted and already qualified for aid. No essays, no extra hoops, no racial or religious test. The aid office picks the students. We send the money.
The foundation is a real 501(c)(3). Every dollar contributed goes into the endowment. Every year, the income and five percent of the principal is paid back out as scholarships — so a gift today keeps writing checks for students who haven’t even started high school yet.
— A. Nugent
Schedule a half‑hour with the founder to talk through the endowment model and where your gift would go.