Appropriation for expenditure or accumulation of endowment fund; rules of construction.

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(a) The duration and preservation of the endowment fund;

(b) The purposes of the institution and the endowment fund;

(c) General economic conditions;

(d) The possible effect of inflation or deflation;

(e) The expected total return from income and the appreciation of investments;

(f) Other resources of the institution; and

(g) The investment policy of the institution.

(2) To limit the authority to appropriate for expenditure or accumulate under subsection (1) of this section, a gift instrument must specifically state the limitation.

(3) Terms in a gift instrument designating a gift as an endowment, or a direction or authorization in the gift instrument to use only "income," "interest," "dividends" or "rents, issues or profits," or "to preserve the principal intact," or words of similar import:

(a) Create an endowment fund of permanent duration unless other language in the gift instrument limits the duration or purpose of the fund; and

(b) Do not otherwise limit the authority to appropriate for expenditure or accumulate under subsection (1) of this section.

(4) The appropriation for expenditure in any year of an amount greater than seven percent of the fair market value of an endowment fund, calculated on the basis of market values determined at least quarterly and averaged over a period of not less than three years immediately preceding the year in which the appropriation for expenditure was made, creates a rebuttable presumption of imprudence. For an endowment fund in existence for fewer than three years, the fair market value of the endowment fund must be calculated for the period the endowment fund has been in existence. This subsection does not:

(a) Apply to an appropriation for expenditure permitted under law other than ORS 128.305 to 128.336 or by the gift instrument; or

(b) Create a presumption of prudence for an appropriation for expenditure of an amount less than or equal to seven percent of the fair market value of the endowment fund. [2007 c.554 §3]


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