Office of Trust Funds

The mission of the Trust Funds Office is to provide the Board of Regents with the support, information, and analyses they require to fulfill their oversight responsibilities as fiduciaries and trustees for UW System Trust Fund assets and for the UW System 403(b) supplemental retirement savings plan. In addition, Trust Funds seeks to provide exceptional products and services to our internal and external customers, primarily Trust Funds account-holders and donors. The Trust Funds products and services include investment vehicles, investment counseling, transaction processing, recordkeeping, and the dissemination of useful information and data.

Since April 1, 2018, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) has assumed investment management responsibilities of UW System Trust Funds. SWIB’s core investment functions are to determine investment policies, asset allocations, and investment strategies and guidelines deemed appropriate for the Trust Funds. SWIB then implements these investment parameters through the selection of specific investment vehicles and managers.

The Trust Funds Office works externally with donors and other related parties, and internally with the benefiting campuses and colleges, to facilitate the receipt and proper use (compliant with donor terms and conditions) of all gifts and bequests. Operationally, the Office is responsible for the deposit of funds, fund- and account-level transaction processing, maintenance of the donor account-level recordkeeping system and its reconciliation and integration with other accounting systems.

The Trust Funds Office also works with the Board of Regents, Vice President for Finance and the Tax Sheltered Annuity Review Committee (TSARC) to provide efficient and high quality record keeping services and investment options to participants in the UW System 403(b) supplemental retirement savings plan.