# University of the Incarnate Word Endowment

University of the Incarnate Word Endowment is an Endowment / Foundation based in San Antonio, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** San Antonio, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** San Antonio, Texas, United States
- **Founded:** 1881
- **Assets under management:** $180–200M (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** uiw.edu
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/school/university-of-the-incarnate-word/

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The endowment traces its origins to the university's founding by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in 1881. It grew through substantial gifts from local philanthropists including Gayle and Tom Benson, whose name sits on the athletic stadium, and Betty and Bob Kelso, patrons of the Kelso Art Center. President Thomas Evans and Board Chair Jack Lewis III currently steward the corpus. The portfolio blends direct real estate with a student-managed public equities fund and venture-stage commitments. Real estate holdings span the UIW Main Campus, a medical school facility at Brooks, the Rosenberg School of Optometry, and residential assets such as Clement Hall and the Village of Avoca Apartments. Investment types include startup equity and mission-related allocations, with tagged sector focuses in Energy Transition & Renewables and ClimateTech. The endowment participates in the Jefferson Bank Investor Challenge and maintains an on-campus student-managed fund. The endowment's footprint extends internationally through Centro Universitario Incarnate Word in Mexico City and a European Study Center in Strasbourg, France. Its philanthropic adjacencies include the Incarnate Word Education Foundation and the Liza and Jack Lewis III Institute of the Americas. The university holds memberships in the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the Council of Independent Colleges, and the National Association of College and University Business Officers. In May 2023, the University of the Incarnate Word and the Jefferson Bank Investor Challenge engaged students in direct investing exercises (per UIW, 2023). The endowment stands apart through its hybrid operational model — a conventional endowment interwoven with a directly owned campus real estate portfolio spread across three countries. Its proximity to the Sisters of Charity and a board heavy with San Antonio business operators creates a governance structure where capital allocation intersects with regional industrial identity.

## Sectors

- Energy Transition & Renewables
- ClimateTech
- Real Estate

## Offices

- Irapuato, Mexico
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Strasbourg, France

## People

- Thomas M. Evans — President
- Jack Lewis III — Chair of the Board of Trustees

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at the endowment?

President Thomas Evans and the Board of Trustees hold ultimate fiduciary responsibility; the board includes executives from Holt Cat, CHRISTUS Health, and Joeris General Contractors. Day-to-day management is not publicly detailed, but the endowment draws on trustee expertise alongside the university's financial administration.

### What investment stages does the endowment target?

The endowment engages across early-stage ventures and direct real estate acquisitions. Campus-related property dominates the portfolio, complemented by a student-managed fund that operates in public equities. No later-stage private equity funds are publicly disclosed.

### What is the endowment's exposure to sustainability-focused investments?

Tagged sector focuses include Energy Transition & Renewables and ClimateTech. The university is a member of AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) and maintains the Headwaters Sanctuary, a protected land parcel on campus.

### How is the endowment structured across geographies?

Real estate holdings extend to Irapuato and Mexico City, Mexico, and a European Study Center in Strasbourg, France. Even so, the bulk of the portfolio remains concentrated on the San Antonio campuses, including the medical school complex at Brooks and the Northwest Campus.

### Does the endowment co-invest alongside external GPs?

No co-investment partnerships with outside general partners are publicly documented. The endowment's known investment activity is primarily direct — real estate, mission-related commitments, and the student-managed fund.

## Related profiles

- [The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation](https://altss.com/profile/the-mary-alice-fortin-foundation)
- [Balliol College, Oxford Endowment](https://altss.com/profile/balliol-college-oxford-endowment)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/university-of-the-incarnate-word-endowment

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology