An endowment can be considered a forever gift as it is a pool of assets that invests the principal and generates an annual income, which can be used by the organization for a specific purpose. The Dakota County Historical Society's endowment was created by the Board of Trustees to fund special projects by the organization that help achieve our mission. 

The fund was established in 2017 when the organization received an unrestricted bequest from a long-time supporter of the organization. The Board of Trustees and staff worked closely to establish the endowment fund with the plan to grow the principal and use the dividends to fund special projects. If there is no special project at the time, the dividends are reinvested to grow until a project is available for the funds to be used on.

Through the endowment, we have been able to accomplish the following:

• World War I event at the Mall of America
• Purchase vintage base ball equipment for program use
• Purchase a donor management system and transfer the data from the old system, to the new

Donated assets in any amount may be accepted by the Dakota County Historical Society for the Endowment already in existence either in name of the donor, or in honor / memory of another individual. 

Did you know that you may be able to have your contribution matched? Many businesses will offer to match your donation at 1:1 basis - this means that every dollar you donate, your business will also donate a dollar! To see if your business offers a 1:1 match, please view our list of Matching Gifts. If your company offers a match and is not listed, please let us know.

An Endowment Fund may be established for a specific purpose (artifact preservation, special exhibit, or programming).

Acceptance of donated assets for a newly created Endowment Fund must be approved by the Dakota County Historical Society Board of Trustees in order to confirm that the fund's purpose is consistent with the mission of the organization.

You may contact the Dakota County Historical Society to discuss creating a special endowment fund.

To make a contribution to the current Endowment Fund, you can send a check to the Lawshe Museum (130 3rd Avenue N - South St. Paul, MN 55075) or complete an online transaction below. If sending a check, please indicate in the Memo that the contribution should be used for the endowment.