The New Hampshire Supreme Court has ruled that Dartmouth College can repurpose a gift now valued at about $3.8 million from a deceased alumnus for the “sole purpose” of maintaining the school’s golf course to support other “golf-related” purposes, the New Hampshire Bulletin reports.

In a unanimous ruling, the court indicated that the estate of Robert T. Keeler did not have legal standing to challenge Dartmouth’s request to modify the restrictions Keeler had set on his gift in 2002 and that the gift could be used to support other related purposes, including the study and design of golf practice areas or golf team expenses. The college first sought to modify Keeler’s restrictions after closing the Hanover Country Club in 2021. Keeler’s estate argued that the school’s decision to close the course failed to meet initial requirements and asked that the money be returned to the Robert T. Keeler Foundation, as stipulated by a second restriction in Keeler’s will. The state attorney general’s Charitable Trusts Unit, which is charged with protecting donors’ intentions, disagreed and found that Dartmouth had met its legal burden.

“Today, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the important role that [the Charitable Trusts Unit] plays in enforcing the terms of charitable gifts,” wrote Michael Garrity, spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, in a statement. “Our office takes this unique responsibility seriously, ensuring that trustees of charitable trusts honor donor intent and change the terms of gifts only when authorized by law.”

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