University of Illinois System, U of I Foundation achieve record fundraising success in FY2018

Urbana, Ill.— The University of Illinois System and the University of Illinois Foundation today announced record  fundraising for fiscal year 2018 with $498.5 million in new business, comprised of new gifts, grants, pledges and deferred commitments.

The total for the fiscal year that ended June 30 is a $212.2 million, or 75 percent, increase from FY2017, and eclipses the all‑time high of $434.9 million set in FY2013.

This is only the second time new business has surpassed $400 million. It also marks the 12th consecutive year that new business has surpassed the $250 million mark. Of the new business total, $296.3 million was provided by alumni, $69.8 million by corporations, $44.6 million by friends, $43 million by foundations, and $44.8 million by other sources.

The record total for FY2018 includes an historic $150 million naming gift for the Gies College of Business, an unprecedented investment from Chicago businessman and College of Business alumnus Larry Gies and his wife, Beth, an alumnus of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

Figures were announced Friday, September 21, at the Foundation’s 83rd annual Business Meeting. Over the course of Foundation Weekend, approximately 650 donors, newly elected governing directors, Foundation members and friends from across the three universities will gather for various meetings, functions and events to celebrate the impact of private support for the University of Illinois System.

The University of Illinois System and the University of Illinois Foundation registered $302.6 million in outright cash gifts, pledge payments, annuity/life income gifts and estate distributions in FY2018. The FY2018 cash flow total surpassed the $220 million mark for the sixth consecutive year and for the first time ever $300 million.

“We are honored and humbled by our donors’ record outpouring of support for the University of Illinois System this year,” said Tim Killeen, president of the University of Illinois System. “It reflects their confidence in the ambitious plans we have developed to build on our power as an engine of progress, and we are determined to ensure that their generous investment pays dividends for generations to come.”

Of the $302.6 million raised last fiscal year, alumni were the largest donor source at 31.8 percent, followed by corporations (24.6 percent), foundations (18.3 percent) and friends (10.1 percent). The category of “other sources” included 15.2 percent of the total.

Donors designated $62.1 million of their gifts for research, $54.5 million for student support, $34.6 million for facilities, $26.3 million for academic programs, $13.9 million for faculty support, $11.6 million for public service, and $4.2 million for other areas. Of the $302.6 million total, $95.4 million was designated by donors to a university, college, department or program for its unrestricted use at the discretion of the dean or unit head.

The majority (65.5 percent, or $198.1 million) of the $302.6 million was designated as current use funds (to be used during the current fiscal year), while 33.2 percent ($100.5 million) was designated for the endowment and 1.3 percent ($4.0 million) was designated for annuity/life income funds. In FY2017 the Foundation's endowment performance was one of the nation’s best. The $100.5 million designated to the endowment in FY2018 was a $48.4 million increase from the previous year. The University and U of I Foundation combined active endowment stood at $2.73 billion as of June 30, 2018.

“We are grateful for the incredible investment our caring and generous donors have made at Illinois, UIC, and UIS. The impact of private giving on the University of Illinois is immeasurable,” said U of I Foundation President/CEO James H. Moore. “Alumni, friends, foundations, corporations, and many others helped advance the education and interests of our universities at record levels over the last year, and I am optimistic they will continue to support the campaigns of all three universities moving forward.”

Last October, the University of Illinois System publicly launched three separate university fundraising campaigns. “Today, we thank and honor all of our University of Illinois donors. Each supporter is a critical member of a powerful body of philanthropic ambassadors for our future. Investing in the campaigns energizes the next generation and empowers the universities to strive for sustained excellence,” said Rick Darnell, senior vice president for campaigns, marketing and communications for the University of Illinois Foundation.

“Combined our individual university campaigns have secured more than $1.7 billion of our $3.1 billion overall goal as of June 30. The University of Illinois is a wonderful investment. Our U of I Foundation Board, advancement teams, and supporters are doing a remarkable job encouraging and administering private gifts,” said U of I Foundation President/CEO James H. Moore, Jr. “Philanthropy changes lives, and as our donors see the great things their investments are accomplishing we will achieve even more success.”
 

We are also providing FY18 announcements from:
University of Illinois at Urbana‑Champaign
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois Springfield