Donors provided a record $388.8 million to the University of Nebraska Foundation in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024 (FY24) for the support of the University of Nebraska. Gifts were made by 57,603 donors.
Gifts supported student access and success to grow Nebraska’s workforce; faculty, academic and clinical excellence to strengthen the educational experience; and transformational research and innovation to solve the state’s biggest challenges.
Donors supported all campuses of the university: the University of Nebraska at Kearney, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of Nebraska Medical Center and its clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine, and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis. Almost all gifts received, 99%, were restricted to a specific university use.
Numerous university priorities benefited from philanthropic support. The Scott Scholars Program, designed for high-achieving STEM students, received a $23 million gift commitment from the Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation to sustain and grow the program at UNO and support its expansion to UNMC. Kiewit Hall opened in January at UNL to increase the pipeline of engineers in Nebraska. The $115 million center of engineering education was entirely funded by private support, including a $25 million naming gift from Kiewit Corp.
A groundbreaking was held at UNK for a second, $95 million building in the Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex, a UNK-UNMC partnership to address a critical shortage of health care providers in rural areas. The William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation is the lead donor to the project.
The record-setting giving during the fiscal year occurred as part of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future. The multi-year campaign seeks to engage 150,000 benefactors to give $3 billion to support the University of Nebraska. As of June 30, 2024, $2.35 billion has been raised from 141,677 unique donors toward the campaign goals.
Read the FY24 News Release on Fundraising Results.
For FY24, total assets under the University of Nebraska Foundation’s management were $3.6 billion. Seventy-two percent of those assets, or $2.6 billion, are endowed funds. The largest fund is the foundation endowment valued at $1.9 billion. The one-year return on the foundation endowment for the year ending June 30, 2024, was 14.5%. The foundation’s primary measure is its five-year annualized return; the five-year annualized return was 8.5%. The University of Nebraska Foundation total endowment is ranked among the top 25 among its public university peer group.
Read the FY24 Endowment Report.
The foundation manages a database of more than 1.3 million records and made more than 364,000 database updates to alumni and donor records during the fiscal year. The foundation made nearly 18,000 payments and transfers to the University of Nebraska from donor funds in the fiscal year; during the fiscal year the payment and transfer process also transitioned to a fully paperless system. Also, during the fiscal year, 444 new funds were created, including 138 permanently endowed funds, leaving a lasting legacy of support for the University of Nebraska. The foundation has a total of 11,714 funds under management. Alumni engagement and fundraising operations are very efficient, with the University of Nebraska receiving more than $7 in gifts for every $1 spent.
Consolidated financial statements are prepared according to generally accepted accounting principles and are audited by an independent auditor.
