Endowment Fund

The Endowment Fund of Wesley United Methodist Church has been established and is subject to the Disciplines of the United Methodist Church, and to the actions of the church conference.  The Endowment Fund was created and exists solely for the charitable purpose of the church with its principle objectives being the promotion and the development of religious, charitable and educational activities.  It is also for nonrecurring purposes not regularly budgeted.  The Endowment Fund will not be used to support the operating budget of the church.

For the year 2026:

1. We had $23,266.68 available to grant in 2026.  Following WUMC’s Endowment Fund Charter, the amount available to grant is equal to the sum of dividend, interest, short term and long term capital gains earnings as of December 31, 2025.
2. Our Endowment fund continues to be held at Charles Schwab and managed by Destination Wealth Management (wealth advisory firm).  The portfolio was valued at $931,745 to begin 2026.  Year to date, the portfolio is $1,283,452.  We had a significant donation and some excess dollars in our Endowment checking account totaling $260,000.  This amount is included in our current portfolio balance. 
3. For 2025, we doubled the Sanematsu Scholarship amount from $1000 to $2000 for our qualifying Wesley high school graduates.  This year, we granted three $2000 Sanematsu Scholarships.  Recipients were Jeffrey Bao, Zoe Tang, and Kaitlyn Yee in June.  We look forward to ongoing and growing grants to our upcoming high school graduating seniors.
4. We are very appreciative to all who have donated.
5. 2026 is proving to be another great year financially.  As of now, our Endowment funds performance is outpacing our grants.  We’re hopeful for continued strength into the end of 2026 and a prosperous 2027. 

For the year 2027:

1. Continue our scholarship programs.
2. Continue to promote and grant funds for charitable, educational, and religious projects aligned with our Endowment charter.
3. Continue to manage and grow the Endowment fund.
4. Increase Endowment fund awareness within our congregation.

Our committee members include Keith Nakashima (chair), Chris Koshiyama, John Moody and Marcia Yasukawa.

Respectfully submitted by:
Keith Nakashima, Endowment Fund Chairman