The numbers are in – the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (TLA) is excited to announce over $117.9 million will be distributed to its 12 beneficiaries. Public schools receive the majority of the funds, coming in at over $111.3 million for the upcoming school year, an increase of over $5 million from last year.
“Generating revenue for our beneficiaries is what it’s all about,” said Michelle McConkie, executive director of the agency. “Trust Lands are special; they aren’t public lands, and we don’t treat them like other lands in the state. Our mandate is clear: these lands were set aside at statehood to do one thing: support education and other important state agencies,” continued McConkie.
TLA generates revenue through several business activities, including energy generation, real estate planning and development, and surface resource uses. The administration is also tasked with caring for the land through thoughtful stewardship. Ron Torgerson, an Assistant Managing Director of the Surface Group, said, “We do everything in our power to take care of this land so it can help take care of its beneficiaries now and in the future.” Torgerson continues, “We have boots on the ground constantly working with cities, towns, and communities doing our best to fulfill our mandate while collaborating with others to achieve the best possible outcome for our beneficiaries.”
“Utah’s Trust Land system is the envy of many other states with trust lands,” said TLA Board Chair Warren Peterson. “The revenue generated by our agency is where it all begins; the subsequent investing of that revenue by the School and Institutional Trust Funds Office (SITFO) benefits our schools even further.”
The Utah State Legislature created the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration in 1994 when it determined a more focused approach was needed to generate revenue from these lands. At the time the Trust Lands Administration was created, the permanent trust balance was around $50 million. Since the independent agency was formed, the fund has grown substantially to approximately $3.7B today. Over the same period, the Trust Lands system has distributed approximately $2.08 billion dollars to the beneficiaries.
FY 2025 Beneficiary distributions:
- $111,314,465 Public Schools Trust
- $313,595 State Colleges of Education Trust
- $139.081 Utah Schools for the Deaf
- $920,178 Utah Schools for the Blind
- $409,931 University of Utah of Trust
- $497,866 Utah State University Trust
- $380,375 School of Mines Trust – University of Utah
- $249,377 Utah State Hospital Trust
- $3,012,476 Miner’s Hospital Trust
- $148,111 Juvenile Justice Services Trust
- $0 Public Buildings Trust
- $591,915 State Reservoirs Trust
