September 11, 2012

Contact: Rosita McCoy, KU Endowment, 785-832-7336; Lisa Scheller, KU Endowment, 785-832-7398

More Information

LAWRENCE — For the fifth year in a row, private gifts for the University of Kansas reached an all-time high of $156.5 million in fiscal year 2012, which ended June 30. The number of donors who made contributions also set a new record—46,257.

The total includes gifts and future commitments made to KU Endowment in support of KU and The University of Kansas Hospital. Of the $156.5 million total, $121.4 million came in outright gifts and pledges, $34.2 million in deferred gifts and $900,000 in gifts made directly to KU.

In the previous year, fiscal 2011, donors contributed $153.2 million.

The growth of philanthropy was bolstered by support for Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas, which publicly kicked off April 28 with a $1.2 billion goal; slightly more than half of that amount has been raised. The campaign seeks to educate future leaders, advance medicine, accelerate discovery and drive economic growth to seize the opportunities of the future. It is set to conclude in 2016.

“This new record is evidence that our alumni and friends are inspired by the priorities outlined in the Far Above campaign,” said Dale Seuferling, president of KU Endowment. “We are grateful for their visionary giving.”

Drue Jennings, chairman of the Board of Trustees of KU Endowment, said that it takes leadership, hard work and superb stewardship to break records five years in a row. “But most of all, it takes generous people who want to partner with us to create a better future,” Jennings said.

KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little echoed this sentiment. “Donors strengthen our ability to deliver on KU’s mission: lifting students and society by educating leaders, building healthy communities and making discoveries that change the world,” she said. “Their generosity will change the lives of our students and the countless people served by our university.”

Bob Page, president and CEO of The University of Kansas Hospital, said he was pleased that donations to the hospital contributed to the fiscal year’s results. “We look forward to our continued partnership with KU Endowment and playing a role in the success of the Far Above campaign,” he said.

KU Endowment is the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment was the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university. The University of Kansas Hospital is a partner in philanthropy with KU Endowment.



