To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Society in 1998, we launched a "50 for 50" Endowment Drive to raise $50,000 for the Society's endowment fund. A major portion of the annual income is reinvested in the endowment every year to ensure the continued growth of the fund and guarantee the financial security of the Society for the next half century.
The Society has diversified its endowment into five funds, each with an objective:
- His Royal Highness Prince Bertil Heritage Fund. This is the Society's principal endowment fund, used to support all of the programs of the Swedish-American Historical Society. His Royal Highness, the late Prince Bertil, personally approved the naming of this fund in his honor. Life membership contributions go into this fund.
- Vilas Johnson-Rolf Erickson Publication Fund. This endowment aids in publication of books and the Society's Quarterly.
- Nils William and Dagmar Olsson Research Fund. This endowment supports research on topics of significance to Swedish-American history.
- Selma Jacobson Archives Fund. Named for archives founder and former archivist Selma Jacobson, this endowment provides support for maintaining the archives.
- Franklin D. Scott Memorial Fund. This fund honors a former president of the Society and editor of the Quarterly, and provides an annual prize of $250 for the best article submitted by a new contributor to the Quarterly.
While the Society has historically depended upon membership dues as the principal source of income, the endowment has become increasingly important in maintaining and enhancing the Society's achievements.
In recent endowment news, the Society launched a bold new fundraising campaign to mark its 75th anniversary in 2023. We seek to raise at least $250,000 in additional funding to create the Philip J. Anderson Publications Endowment, building on the amount already pledged toward this goal. Income from the endowment will be used to supplement the cost of editing, producing, marketing, and distributing the new version of our esteemed journal: Swedish-American Studies. This will allow the journal to remain affordable for the Society’s members, and make the journal accessible to scholars and lay readers alike.
If you would like to join us in raising money to support the future of SAHS publications, you may give to the Philip J. Anderson Publications Endowment HERE.
