As of Sept. 15, the UI’s Brilliant Futures Campaign, passed the $2 billion mark. The campaign, the largest in the university’s 143-year history, was at 89 percent of its $2.25 billion fundraising goal. The campaign update was announced during the UI Foundation’s 75th annual meeting, held last week on the Urbana campus.
The campaign, which began July 1, 2003, will conclude Dec. 31, 2011. The campaign counts outright gifts, grants and pledges to the university as well as deferred commitments. Of the $2 billion raised to date, $1.345 billion is in outright commitments and $655.1 million is in deferred gift arrangements. A total of $1.199 billion has been designated for current use and $801.1 million is designated for endowments.
“I think the campaign progress we have made is a testament to all alumni and friends of the university in addition to all faculty, staff and students on all three campuses,” said Sidney S. Micek, the president of the foundation. “Everybody associated with the university has a real passion for this institution. We still have a lot of work ahead of us to finish the campaign strong, but we have great momentum.”
As of Sept. 15, $1.406 billion had been designated by donors for the Urbana campus, $525 million for UIC, $23.8 million for UIS and $45.6 million for the foundation and university administration purposes. The funds are used to support many areas, including student scholarships and fellowships, faculty support, academic programs, facilities and research.
Nearly 38 percent of the total raised has come from alumni of the university, with another 13 percent from non-alumni. Corporations and businesses have contributed 20 percent; 18 percent is from foundations and family foundations; 11 percent is from special groups and other private sources.
Brilliant Futures
Goal Raised to date
Urbana $1.5 billion $1.406 billion
UIC $650 million $525 million
UIS $28 million $23.8 million
Administration/ foundation
$72 million $45.6 million
UI major fundraising
- Campaign for Illinois (1979-1985) exceeded its $100 million goal by raising $134 million.
- Campaign Illinois (1991-2000) surpassed its goal of $1 billion with gifts totalling $1.53 billion, making it one of the largest fundraising efforts conducted by a public university at that time.
- Brilliant Futures (2003-2011) has a campaign goal of $2.25 billion.
UI, UI Foundation pass $200 million for third straight year
The UI and the UI Foundation had another banner year in private gifts received for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, raising $211.8 million, according to Walter Knorr, UI chief financial officer and treasurer of the foundation. Fiscal year 2010 was the third consecutive year – and only the fourth year ever – that the university and foundation eclipsed the $200 million mark in gifts received.
A total of $54.3 million was designated to the UI directly and $157.5 million was contributed through the foundation. More than 150,000 gifts from 85,000 donors were recorded during FY10.
Knorr made the announcement at the foundation’s 75th annual meeting Oct. 1 to about 500 elected foundation members and members of the Presidents Council and Chancellor’s Circle.
“This has been another very good year for the university and the foundation in terms of fundraising,” Knorr said. “Despite a shaky economy, we continue to make strides toward enhancing the future of the university through private support.”
The $211.8 million in gifts received provided support for a number of initiatives across the campuses at Urbana, Chicago and Springfield. This past year $97.2 million was raised for academic programs, $22.3 million for student support, $7.7 million for faculty support, $48.2 million for research and $36.4 million for other purposes.
Of those funds raised last year, 71 percent ($150.3 million) was designated for current use funds. These funds are intended to be used during the current fiscal year. Also, $53.5 million was designated for the endowment. The UIF endowment produced a 12 percent return during FY10.
The active endowment of both the university and the foundation represents $1.289 billion as of June 30, or 62 percent of the total endowment of $2.096 billion. Deferred gift commitments to the UI and the foundation total $806.1 million. This deferred amount combined with the active endowment creates a total of $2.096 billion.
The foundation, established 75 years ago, is dedicated to securing and administering private gifts for the UI and its three campuses.
Gifts TO
UI and UI FOUNDATION
Alumni: $52 million (25 percent)
Friends: $35.6 million (17 percent)
Corporations: $58 million (27 percent)
Foundations $36.4 million (17 percent)
Associations: $29.8 million (14 percent)
