U of I, U of I Foundation Eclipse $210 Million Mark for 5th Straight Year

The University of Illinois and the University of Illinois Foundation had another banner year in fundraising for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2012. The University and the Foundation registered $210.6 million in outright cash gifts, pledge payments, annuities/ life income gifts and estate distributions, according to Walter Knorr, U of I chief financial officer and treasurer of the University of Illinois Foundation. This is the fifth consecutive year that cash gifts have eclipsed $210 million. Prior to the recently concluded Brilliant Futures Campaign, the $200-million threshold was only passed once.

Knorr made the announcement at the U of I Foundation’s 77th Annual Meeting today (Friday, Sept. 28) to approximately 500 elected Foundation Members and members of the Presidents Council and Chancellor’s Circle.

“The continued commitment that the alumni and friends of the University continue to make is incredible and much appreciated,” says Knorr. “These gifts help provide the margin of excellence for the University.”

“We had another fantastic year in fundraising,” says Dr. Sidney S. Micek, president of the University of Illinois Foundation. “We have had a great deal of momentum coming off the successful Brilliant Futures Campaign. The enthusiasm for the University of Illinois is impressive. We have alumni, donors and friends all over the country—if not the world—who support this superb university. I would like to thank all of them for believing in the University’s mission.”

Nearly 142,000 gifts were recorded by more than 75,500 donors during FY12. The $210.6 million raised was designated for many purposes across the University’s three campuses and is broken down as follows:

The source of the $210.6 million in gifts is broken down as follows:

Of the $210.6 million raised last year, 74 percent ($155 million) was designated as current use funds—to be used during the current fiscal year. Also, $45 million was designated for the endowment while $11 million was designated for annuity/life income funds.

The University and the Foundation reached a new threshold in terms of new business. New gifts, grants, pledges, and deferred gift commitments totaled $310.9 million in FY 2012. That is only the second year that the $300 million figure has ever been reached. It is a 23 percent increase over last year ($254 million) and the sixth year in a row that the new business total has surpassed the $250 million mark.

The active endowment stood at $1.65 billion as of June 30, 2012, which is up approximately three percent from a year ago. Deferred gift commitments to the University and the Foundation totaled $873.9 million. This deferred amount combined with the active endowment creates a total endowment of $2.52 billion.

The Access Illinois: Presidential Scholarship Initiative, announced in June 2011, has new gifts, grants, pledges, and deferred gift commitments of $46.8 million as of Aug. 31, 2012. Access Illinois is a three-year effort to raise at least $100 million expressly for scholarships, fellowships and other forms of student support for all three University of Illinois campuses.

The University of Illinois Foundation, which was established 77 years ago, is dedicated to securing and administering private gifts for the University of Illinois and its three campuses. Since its inception in 1935, UIF has been instrumental in securing and administering more than $5 billion in gifts for the University.

For additional Information, contact:

Don Kojich
Vice President for Marketing and Communications
University of Illinois Foundation
217-333-0246
dkojich@uif.uillinois.edu