Why university endowment funds should be supported

What you need to know:

"In an era of global uncertainty, knowledge institutions must be proactive. ”

Over the past few weeks, the Trump administration has moved to freeze federal research grants to leading US universities, including Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania, cutting off access to billions of dollars that fuel groundbreaking research and innovation.

Here in Uganda, the government has, to its credit, made substantial investments in science, technology and research funding over the last 15 years. Makerere University receives Shs30 billion annually under the Research and Innovation Fund (RIF) to support high-impact, cross-sectoral projects that feed into Uganda’s development priorities—from agriculture and public health to climate adaptation and digital transformation. RIF was preceded by substantial funding to science and technology through the World Bank-supported Millennium Science Initiative.

While the government continues to fund the RIF at the university, the changes in the global funding terrain for science and technology, especially as evidenced recently with the US and UK cessations, point to a serious challenge for public research institutions and universities. At Makerere University, out of the annual Shs136 billion mobilised externally for research and innovations, a significant Shs110 billion (80 percent) comes from the US and UK. The recent policy shifts will thwart years of hard-won progress in research as several laboratories and centres of excellence face imminent closure. At the strategic level, these policy shifts are likely to slow down the university’s acceleration to a research-led institution, as several of these research grants, not only propel research but also support postgraduate studies and innovations.

The recent USAID funding freeze has already led to widespread programme closures across Makerere University, including those at the School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, and the Infectious Diseases Institute, threatening essential research, training, and public health interventions. By threatening research funds as a political bargaining chip, it has exposed a systemic vulnerability in even the best-endowed institutions. Fifty percent of Harvard’s revenue, for example, comes from research grants and federal contracts. But here’s the difference: Harvard has a $50 billion endowment. Yale and Stanford are not far behind. These universities have a fallback position that will soften the financial blows coming their way. What is Africa’s fallback position? At Makerere University, we are crafting one.

Established in 2014, the Makerere University Endowment Fund is designed to future-proof the institution’s excellence. It is our long-term financial engine, growing steadily through philanthropic gifts, alumni contributions, strategic investments, and institutional partnerships. As of December 2024, our portfolio stood at Shs13 billion and the Fund is governed transparently and professionally, with a clear mandate to support teaching, research, student support, and innovation at the university for generations to come. In an era of global uncertainty, knowledge institutions must be proactive. Long-term innovation demands predictable and protected funding. Endowment Funds are not just financial tools, they are now clear symbols of a university’s autonomy and resilience.

As the oldest and most prestigious university in East and Central Africa, Makerere has been at the centre of shaping the continent’s intellectual and professional class. It is only fitting that it also becomes a pioneer in self-sustaining academic models. But this vision cannot be realised by the university alone. We need everyone, our alumni, our friends in the private sector, philanthropists, civil society actors, and the general public to financially support the fund. Investing in the Makerere University Endowment Fund is just not a donation, it is a commitment to ensuring that even if the tides change, Makerere will remain a lighthouse of knowledge, research, and African excellence.

The author, Mr Karane Tuhirirwe, communications lead, Makerere University Endowment Fund