(a) “Educational institution,” as used in this section, means any nonprofit corporation organized under Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 94400) or Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 94700) of Part 59 of the Education Code or organized under Part 1 (commencing with Section 9000) of this division in effect on December 31, 1979, and designated on or after January 1, 1980, as a nonprofit public benefit corporation, or organized for charitable or eleemosynary purposes under Part 2 (commencing with Section 5110) of this division, or Part 3 (commencing with Section 10200) of this division in effect on December 31, 1979, and designated on or after January 1, 1980, as a nonprofit public benefit corporation for the purpose of establishing, conducting or maintaining an institution offering courses beyond high school and issuing or conferring a diploma or for the purpose of offering or conducting private school instruction on the high school or elementary school level and any charitable trust organized for such purpose or purposes. “Educational institution,” as used in this section, also means the University of California, the California State University, the California Community Colleges, and any auxiliary organization, as defined in § 89901 of the Education Code, established for the purpose of receiving gifts, property and funds to be used for the benefit of a state college.

(b) It shall be lawful for any educational institution to become a member of a nonprofit corporation incorporated under the laws of any state for the purpose of maintaining a common trust fund or similar common fund in which nonprofit organizations may commingle their funds and property for investment and to invest any and all of its funds, whenever and however acquired, in the common fund or funds; provided that, in the case of funds or property held as fiduciary, the investment is not prohibited by the wording of the will, deed, or other instrument creating the fiduciary relationship.

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Terms Used In California Corporations Code 10251

  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • executed: when used with respect to the documents filed pursuant to this code or pursuant to regulations adopted under this code, and presented to the Secretary of State, include a document bearing a signature under subdivision (a). See California Corporations Code 17.1
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Education Code 77

(c) An educational institution electing to invest in a common fund or funds under this section may elect to receive distributions from each fund in an amount not to exceed for each fiscal year the greater of the income, as determined under the Uniform Principal and Income Act, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 16320) of Part 4 of Division 9 of the Probate Code, accrued on its interest in the fund or 10 percent of the value of its interest in the fund as of the last day of its next preceding fiscal year. The educational institution may expend the distribution or distributions for any lawful purpose notwithstanding any general or special law characterizing the distribution, or any part thereof, as principal or income; provided that, in the case of funds or property invested as fiduciary, the expenditure is not prohibited by the wording of the will, deed, or other instrument creating the fiduciary relationship. No such prohibition of expenditure shall be deemed to exist solely because a will, deed, or other instrument, whether executed or in effect before or after the effective date of this section, directs or authorizes the use of only the “income,” or “interest,” or “dividends” or “rents, issues or profits,” or contains words of similar import.

(d) The Corporate Securities Law of 1968 shall not apply to the creation, administration, or termination of common trust funds authorized under this section, or to participation therein.

(e) This section shall become operative on January 1, 1997.

(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 145, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2000.)