Established in 1982, the UCSF Foundation promotes the interests and welfare of the University of California San Francisco and the UCSF Medical Center. The Foundation accomplishes its mission through the leadership, guidance, and generosity of its Board of Directors, Chancellor's Associates, and donors. As UCSF receives less than 8 percent of its operating budget from state sources, the University must rely increasingly on Foundation support to help continue its work locally, nationally, and internationally.

The UCSF Foundation Board of Directors is the campus' premier volunteer leadership body. Directors are the fiduciary trustees of the Foundation, ensuring that its vision and actions are consistent with the mission of the University by setting, implementing, and evaluating Foundation goals and objectives. The Board oversees the Foundation's operations and advises University administration through the work of several committees: Audit, Cancer Council, Government Relations, Investment, Marketing, Nominating, Real Estate, and Strategic Planning.

Chancellor's Associates are nominated and appointed by the Board of Directors and act as the Foundation's core council of volunteers, donors, and community liaisons.

The UCSF Foundation's daily operations are administered by the Officers of the Foundation and a development staff responsible for major gifts, planned giving, corporate and foundation gifts, annual giving, development communications, alumni relations, and campus events.

All gifts to the UCSF Foundation are expended strictly in accordance with donors' wishes. Gifts to the Foundation support cutting edge research, provide endowments to recruit and retain faculty, bolster capital projects such as new buildings and state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, and provide scholarships to the world renowned medical professionals and scientists of tomorrow.

Funds received by the Foundation are invested and managed by the Investment Committee of the UCSF Foundation. The Investment Committee includes Directors, Chancellor's Associates, and other professionals with an interest and expertise in investment management.

Investment assets are divided into three categories and invested separately: endowment fund, current fund, and planned giving assets. The endowment fund includes both permanent endowments and funds functioning as endowments. The primary investment objective for these funds is growth of principal sufficient to preserve purchasing power and the provision of income to support current and future University activities. The UCSF Foundation is audited annually by a nationally recognized public accounting firm.