Two Pathways to Impact
Major Gifts: The Power of Immediate Impact
Major gifts provide immediate, flexible support that allows the Shepherd School to respond quickly to emerging opportunities and critical priorities.
Your support can help:
- Acquire exceptional instruments including world-class pianos and rare string instruments
- Expand global touring opportunities that elevate student visibility and professional development
- Advance artistic innovation through recording technology, digital performance spaces, and interdisciplinary creative initiatives
Support urgent priorities identified by the Dean that directly enhance the student and faculty experience.
Endowed Gifts: The Power of Lasting Legacy
An endowed gift establishes a permanent source of support for the Shepherd School. The principal is invested, while annual distributions provide dependable funding in perpetuity — ensuring your philanthropy continues shaping generations of musicians, artists, and audiences for generations to come.
Endowments may be established through outright gifts or multi-year commitments payable over three to five years.
Types of Endowment
Named Scholarship | Starting at $100,000
- Provides essential tuition support for elite student talent.
Faculty Research/Travel | Starting at $250,000
- Supports the professional development of our world-class faculty.
Graduate Fellowships | Starting at $500,000
- Attracts the most sought-after master’s and doctoral candidates.
Guest Artist Series | Starting at $1,000,000
- Brings the world’s greatest virtuosos to Houston for residencies.
Endowed Faculty Chair | $3,000,000 - $5,000,000
- Secures a permanent position for a master teacher-artist.
Additional philanthropic priorities and customized endowed opportunities are welcomed and encouraged.
Annual Endowment Reports
The Constituent Relations office distributes annual reports to each donor or designee following completion of the endowment audit conducted by the Office of Investment Accounting and the Rice Management Company.
These reports provide information about the overall performance of the endowment, the performance of the individual endowed funds established by the donor, and information about the students, faculty and programs that benefit from the fund.
Flexible Giving Strategies
We offer flexible giving strategies to match your vision. Whether through a Current-use Major Gift or an Endowed Fund, we’ll help you structure a contribution that honors your intent and fits your financial plans.
Ways to Give
- Outright Gifts — Cash, appreciated securities, or real estate
- Multi-Year Commitments — Fulfilled over a period of up to five years