Giving FAQ

To ensure 100% of your gift reaches our target initiatives without bank or credit card processing deductions, we accept contributions exclusively through three direct methods:

• Zelle — Send your contribution to offering@saistudent.org (zero transaction fees).
• Check — Mail physical checks payable to SSSIHL Alumni Foundation to: 8500 East 116th Street, Unit 841, Fishers, IN 46038
• Company Portals (Corporate Matching) — Donate directly through your employer’s corporate giving portal (such as Benevity, YourCause, or CyberGrants) by searching for “SSSIHL Alumni Foundation”.

On a voluntary basis, alumni may participate in gifts that support the Sri Sathya Sai Trusts associated with Prasanthi Nilayam, including:

• Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning Trust — through SSSIHL university, campus, and related funds
• Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust — through SSSCT / Central Trust funds (education, medical relief, relief to the poor, and general public utility)

Browse current options on Explore Funds.

Current active funds include:

• SSSIHL General & Institutional — Unrestricted Fund, Research & Innovation Fund, Corpus Fund, Student Support Fund
• Campus Funds — Anantapur, Brindavan, Prasanthi Nilayam, and Nandigiri Campus Funds
• Central Trust (SSSCT) — Education, Medical Relief, Relief to the Poor, and General Public Utility Funds
• Others — Foundation Unrestricted Fund

Full descriptions are on Explore Funds.

• Unrestricted Funds — flexible support where funds can be used for pressing institutional needs (for example technology, operations, or emerging priorities).
• Corpus Fund — capital that remains invested; typically interest/earnings help meet recurring and developmental needs (see “What is a corpus fund?” below).
• Research & Innovation Fund — supports student and faculty research, including priorities such as health, energy, and environment.
• Student Support Fund — enhances the student experience (learning materials, labs, hostels, wellness, and related needs).
• Campus Funds — directed to a specific SSSIHL campus for facilities, labs, residential, and academic infrastructure.
• Central Trust (SSSCT) Funds — support education, medical relief, relief to the poor, and general public utility initiatives of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (including schools and hospital-related service programs as applicable).
• Foundation Unrestricted Fund — flexible support for Foundation priorities and related needs.

See also Giving Impact for examples of outcomes.

A corpus fund is not unique to our Institute—it exists for many institutions, especially educational ones. Contributions are received for investment. Earnings from those investments help meet operational and developmental expenses, while the corpus principal itself is generally left untouched and can grow over time with gifts from alumni, devotees, and well-wishers.

Investments follow prudent principles (safety, liquidity, and return, in that order of priority), consistent with applicable trust/investment norms. Interest earned from the University corpus may be used toward activities such as:

• Meeting annual recurring expenditure of the University (apart from staff emoluments, as applicable)
• Infrastructural development and growth

You can designate the SSSIHL Corpus Fund when you make a gift.

• Relief to the Poor
• Medical Relief
• Education
• General Public Utility

Select these on the gift form or explore them under Central Trust on Explore Funds.

Donations are allocated according to the fund you select when you make a gift (for example a campus fund, research and innovation, student support, or Central Trust programs). Browse current options on Explore Funds.

If a company matching gift arrives without an explicit fund designation from the employer portal, or if a contribution is otherwise unclassified, it is held in the Foundation Unrestricted Fund. Accumulated general funds from this pool are then directed to the SSSIHL Unrestricted Fund during the annual giving disbursement, to support the university’s most pressing institutional priorities.

As a 100% volunteer-run organization, we keep administrative overhead to an absolute minimum. Essential operational expenses are limited strictly to necessary technology, banking, and regulatory compliance needs, including:

• Banking & Wire Fees — International wire transfers for secure fund disbursements.
• Digital Infrastructure — Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud hosting and domain administration.
• Accounting & Financial Management — QuickBooks subscription for ledger tracking, financial reporting, and transparency.
• Tax & Legal Compliance — Professional CPA services for annual IRS Form 990 preparation and state regulatory filings.
• Corporate Matching Services — Double the Donation subscription to power our employer-matching search tool and maximize donor impact.

Operational costs—such as software subscriptions, tax filings, and bank wire fees—are funded in two ways:

• Foundation Unrestricted Fund — Corporate matching payments and general, unclassified donations received toward the end of the year or in the following fiscal cycle are held in the Foundation Unrestricted Fund and used to cover essential operational overhead.
• Designated operational gifts — Donors may also make contributions specifically earmarked to support Foundation operational expenses.