The word endowment is one that refers to a set of elements that maintain similar characteristics and that are grouped in a certain way. The endowment can be objects (for example, an endowment of donations that are delivered to a dining room) as well as people (as it happens when talking about a firefighter crew). The endowment usually serves to give the idea that something is numerous or abundant and that it is grouped in that way or because it has characteristics in common or because it will serve a specific and common objective.
In common parlance, an endowment can be any set of items that are intended for a purpose. Thus, it is normal to speak of an endowment of food for a canteen, or an endowment of supplies that are delivered to a school, or an endowment of works of art that reaches a museum. In this sense, the word is usually related not only to the objects or elements themselves but also to the idea that they are delivered to a place as a form of payment or as a donation so that they all stay together or to comply a definite end. Endowment in this sense can also be understood as the inventory or the collection of elements that are part of an institution, for example, as when talking about the endowment of resources of a government or entity, of a company, etc.
In most cases, the term endowment is used to refer to groups of people who fulfill a profession, such as firefighters. The staff understood in this way can be described as a large group of people who are destined to fulfill a task and who, furthermore, are managed through a fairly institutional profile, which means complying with hierarchies, authorities and command orders This allows the activities to be carried out to be better organized. Firefighters or sailors crews (another common possibility) usually have distinctive elements such as uniforms, badges, logos, etc., which serve to identify themselves within the group and differentiate themselves from the rest.
