Endowments are collections of donated funds that are managed to provide permanent support for nonprofit universities' educational, scientific, and charitable missions -- namely, teaching students, performing research, and addressing problems affecting communities, states, and the nation. Each dollar spent from an endowment to deliver an education -- from libraries to laboratories -- reduces the cost to all students. At many institutions with the largest endowments, funds from endowments are their main source of financial support, ranging from 20 to 50 percent of their operating budgets.