UNI reports record-breaking fundraising in 2022-23 fiscal year

The University of Northern Iowa received a record-breaking $58.4 million in gifts during the 2022-2023 fiscal year, a 35% increase over the previous record-holding fiscal year in 2021-2022, the university announced.

The majority of funds were given to UNI academic and co-curricular programs, with more than $38 million helping to establish 63 new program funds. More than $12 million went into scholarships, of which 55 new programs were made. Just under $5 million went to capital projects, and the remaining $2.5 million were unrestricted funds.

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

UNI put capital project funding toward renovations of the Applied Engineering Building, campanile, Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center and UNI-Dome. The dome and phase one of campanile renovations have already been completed, and the engineering building and performing arts center projects are slated to be finished in 2024. Phase two of the campanile project will begin in 2024.

Endowment holdings grew to $186 million with fundraising efforts, with $37 million of raised money going to endowment funds, and the college created eight new endowed funds from donors in the fiscal year.

The university has also seen success through Our Tomorrow: The Campaign for UNI, a fundraising campaign launched in fall 2022 and expected to run through 2026. The campaign, which has already raised $234 million, seeks to put funds toward student access and success, engaged learning, academic programs, faculty, and iconic spaces, according to the university.

“All gifts are helping build the UNI tomorrow needs,” said Jim Jermier, vice president for university advancement and president of the UNI Foundation, in the release. “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.”