UConn Foundation Reports Record $82 Million in Donations, Pledges

STORRS, CT — The UConn Foundation on Wednesday reported its first year-over-year increase in donors since 2013 and a total of $82.45 million raised, the largest annual amount in the foundation’s history.

The report, released Wednesday, is for fiscal year 2018.

The $82.45 million includes both contributions and pledged commitments and they add up to a 15 percent increase over fiscay year 2017.

In all, 22,260 people made contributions or pledged commitments in FY18. Foundation officials credited "a new approach to donor engagement at the Foundation, including the launch of a "giving day."

“Our mission statement, 'Strengthening UConn One Relationship at a Time,' is something we believe in deeply and it’s never been more important to the future of UConn,” said UConn Foundation board chairman Dan Toscano. “We know that philanthropy will continue to play an increasingly critical role in UConn’s pursuit of excellence and the Foundation is committed to meeting this challenge. Our new, innovative approach to engagement is the latest example of the Foundation establishing itself as an industry leader as it delivers results for UConn.”

The foundation reported that, at the close of FY18, UConn's total endowment had grown from $42 million in 1995 to approximately $440 million.

Over the last four fiscal years, donors to UConn have made commitments and gifts totaling more than $300 million, by far the best four-year period in UConn’s history, the report indicates.

The report cited "continued support" in FY18 for the Transform Lives scholarship initiative, a $150 million effort to raise funds for scholarships and student support. The Foundation raised $22.3 million for the initiative in FY18 and more than $100 million since its inception in 2013, according to the foundation report.

The largest gifts of FY18 include:

• $22.5 million gift in support of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• $2.8 million in support of scholarships for the School of Social Work
• $2 million in support of the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources for undergraduate scholarships and the Connecticut Veterinary Diagnostic Lab
• $1.5 million in support a Chair in Corporate Social Responsibility at the School of Business
• $1.3 million in support of the School of Engineering’s Reverse Engineering, Fabrication, Inspection & Non-Destructive Evaluation, or "REFINE," Lab Fund
• $1.3 million in support of the UConn Health Center
• $1 million in support of scholarships for the School of Dental Medicine
• $1 million to support UConn Athletics capital projects
• $1 million to support UConn Athletics capital projects

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel

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