CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The University of Northern Iowa Foundation received a record $58.4 million in gifts from alumni and friends of UNI during the 2022-2023 fiscal year. The record results were a 35% increase over the previous record of $43.1 million in 2020-2021. The past four years have been the highest fundraising years in the university’s history. 

“We are grateful to the 9,402 donors who invested in UNI,” said UNI President Mark Nook. “The university is stronger because of the commitment these alumni, friends and organizations are making to our campus and our students.” 

Of the 9,402 donors who gave during the 2022-23 fiscal year, 2,170 were new donors to the university. Many of those new donors gave as part of UNI’s Day of Giving – #LivePurpleGiveGold – in March. It was a record-setting day of giving for UNI that brought in 1,884 gifts to the institution in 24 hours. 

In October 2022, the university publicly launched Our Tomorrow: The Campaign for UNI, a comprehensive fundraising campaign seeking to raise $250 million to support student access and success, engaged learning, academic programs and faculty, and iconic spaces. The campaign is slated to run through 2026 – the university’s sesquicentennial. When the Our Tomorrow campaign was announced last fall, UNI had already received $187.5 million in support during the campaign’s quiet phase. Total raised through June 30, 2023, for the Our Tomorrow campaign is $234 million. 

“All gifts are helping build the UNI tomorrow needs,” said Jim Jermier, vice president for University Advancement and president of the UNI Foundation. “The unprecedented generosity is more than a number – it’s a commitment to making a difference in students’ lives by investing in UNI’s mission for the future. Our tomorrow is truly beginning now.”

Support for programs and scholarships led fundraising efforts. During the 2022-23 fiscal year, 63 new program funds were established with donors providing more than $38.5 million in support to UNI’s academic and co-curricular programs. Nearly $12.3 million was raised to support scholarships, establishing 55 new scholarships to support UNI students.

Capital projects at the university, including the renovations of the Applied Engineering Building, Campanile, the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center and the UNI-Dome, benefited from nearly $5 million in fundraising. The Applied Engineering Building renovation, a project supported by both state and private funds, is underway and scheduled to be completed in 2024. Phase one of the Campanile project – renovation and the addition of new bells to the carillon plus work to the Campanile’s structure – was completed this year. Phase two of the project – work to update the plaza surrounding the Campanile – is slated to begin in 2024. The renovation of the Gallagher Bluedorn began earlier in 2023 and will be completed by fall 2024. The Van G. Miller Family Charitable Foundation Meeting Room opened within the UNI-Dome this year. 

Giving to the university’s endowment helped grow the holdings to $186 million. Thirty-eight new endowed funds were created by donors during the 2022-23 fiscal year. Over $37 million of the gifts and pledges were directed to endowment funds, helping provide financial support to UNI for years to come.

To learn more about the University of Northern Iowa Foundation, visit foundation.uni.edu.