Gifts To The Endowment
Gifts to the endowment may be made in cash, stock, as bequests, or through a variety of planned giving options.

Gifts of $100 and above are recognized in the Conservatory's annual report. They may also be recognized in other publications as appropriate.

The Conservatory’s endowment has grown from $26,662,000 in FY03 to $34,118,800 in FY08 (28%). In addition, our preliminary investment returns for FY09 are -4%. This is far below many educational institutions who reported loosing 20% - 30% in calendar 2008 (The Conservatory’s calendar 2008 returns were -6.8%).

Unrestricted Gifts
An unrestricted gift of any amount to the Conservatory's permanent endowment supports the programs and operations of the Conservatory in perpetuity.

Restricted Gifts
Endowment gifts may also be directed to specific programs or funds. If you are interested in making an endowment gift for a specific purpose, please contact us. The terms of the restricted gift may be negotiated with the Conservatory.

Name a Memorial Fund
These funds create a lasting memory of those who were part of the Conservatory community. The funds acknowledge the contribution these members made while at the Conservatory.

• A gift of $5,000 or more will establish a named memorial fund that benefits collegiate or preparatory student as directed by the individual creating the fund. These funds are only available in the name of a deceased faculty member, staff member, alumnus/alumna or student.

Scholarship Funds
Each year individuals contribute about $60,000 through modest gifts to the general scholarship fund, all of which is used to offset tuition costs for deserving students. Over 92% of our students receive full or partial scholarships, and in many cases attendance at the Conservatory would not be possible without the generous contributions of supporters like you. Your contribution in any amount is welcome.

Named Scholarships

• Your gift of $25,000 or more will establish a named scholarship for collegiate or preparatory students
• Your gift of $400,000 or more will endow a full tuition scholarship for one collegiate student
• A gift of $150,000 or more will endow a full tuition scholarship for one preparatory student

Collegiate tuition is $33,000 for academic year 2009-2010. Preparatory tuition varies from depending on the course of instruction.

2008-2009 Awards

These generously funded annual awards proudly recognize outstanding excellence by faculty and students.

• Faculty
  
  Sarlo Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching
  Funding generously provided by the Sarlo Foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund. The Award honors an outstanding faculty member.
  
  Nicole Paiement is the artistic director of BluePrint––a thriving new music project sponsored by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Since 1993, Ms. Paiement has also been the artistic director of the California Ensemble Parallèle, a professional ensemble dedicated to the performance and recording of new music. Recently the ensemble presented the world premiere performance of Lou Harrison’s opera Young Caesar. Ms. Paiement has been the artistic director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music New Music Ensemble since 1999. In addition, Ms. Paiement is the director of ensembles at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Paiement has commissioned many works and has recorded various CDs including music by Schütz, Stradella, Tailleferre, Cope, Harrison, Milhaud, Imbrie and Messiaen. An active guest conductor, Ms. Paiement's recent engagements include the conducting of a world premieres in Melbourne, Sydney and Seoul. She recently conducted the Hollywood Bowl orchestra, the Ensemble Kochi of Japan, the Seoul Contemporary Opera Company Orchestra and the Sewon Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Paiement holds a doctorate degree in conducting from the Eastman School of Music and has been recognized by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with the Sarlo Award for excellence in teaching.
• Student
  
  Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award
  Funding generously provided by The Presser Foundation. The award recognizes an outstanding student majoring in music at or near the end of the student's junior year.
  
  Jonathan Kulpa is a junior at the Conservatory and studies composition with David Garner and David Conte. Focusing on the link between sound and space, Jonathan hopes to write compositions in partnership with architects, graphic artists and computer technologists. His recent compositions include On Time and Space for strings and percussion, Where a Thread Begins for piano with extended piano techniques, and Tanczene for viola and piano, which was showcased on KALW’s radio show entitled “From the Conservatory.”
  
  Prior to studying at the Conservatory, Jonathan studied composition with Karl Boelter and performed as a saxophone soloist with the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra. He studied at Interlochen Arts Camp, where he wrote a string quartet that was later selected for a reading with musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
  
  Jim Highsmith Composition Competition
  Funding generously provided by an endowed gift from Jim Highsmith to recognize an outstanding student composition selected by the composition faculty.
  
  The music of California-based composer Jeffrey Parola draws its inspiration from the Western classical canon, contemporary art music, jazz and popular music. Mr. Parola’s compositions communicate in a diversity of styles and musical syntaxes, and seek to speak to the ever-sophisticated ear of the modern listener.
  
  His works have achieved success and garnered several awards throughout his youth, undergraduate and graduate years. He received his B.A. in composition from the University of California, Los Angeles, and M.M. in composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied with David Conte.
  
  Several of Mr. Parola’s works have been performed and read by many individuals and ensembles, including conductors – Peter Rutenberg, John Koza, Nicole Paiment, David Conte, Joseph Gregorio, Jonathan Velsaco and Vance George; choirs – Hartnell College Chamber Choir, Los Angeles Chamber Singers, Camerata Singers, SF Conservatory Chorus, Long Beach Poly High School Chamber Choir, Schola Cantorum San Francisco, Ateneo Chamber Singers, San Francisco State Chamber Singers; instrumental ensembles – Bay Brass, SFCM New Music Ensemble, Long Beach Poly High School Orchestra, SFCM Orchestra, SFCM Brass Players, and Fireworks Ensemble; soloists – William Vendice and Christina Borgioli.
  
  Mr. Parola has recently been appointed composer-in-residence for the New York City-based vocal ensemble, Choral Chameleon (Vince Peterson, director), for the 2009-10 season.

Faculty Chair
Create a legacy that has an enormous impact on the future of music. Current endowed faculty chairs include the Isaac Stern Distinguished Chair in Violin, the Frederica von Stade Distinguished Chair in Voice, and the James D. Robertson Chair in Piano. These chairs recognize distinguished faculty members and their extraordinary contributions to Conservatory and the world of music.

Your gift of $1 million or more will name a faculty chair.
Your gift of $2 million or more will name a distinguished faculty chair.

Pooled Income Fund
Participating in the Pooled Income Fund, established in 1983, is one way to make a deferred gift. This is a common fund in which gifts from many donors are combined for investment purposes. You and/or your designated beneficiaries received income for life based on your proportionate share of the fund. You will also receive an immediate income tax deduction when you join the fund, based on the value of the deferred remainder interest that the Conservatory will receive. The Conservatory offers a fund that is invested to achieve balanced growth and income. Because this fund consists of gifts from a number of individuals, you can participate with a minimum contribution of $5,000 in cash or securities.

For more information please contact Alex Brose at awb@sfcm.edu or 415.503.6207 or Murrey Nelson at mnelson@sfcm.edu or 415.503.6263.