University of Nebraska (NU) System Receives Record Philanthropic Support

The University of Nebraska Foundation today announced record-setting private support for the University of Nebraska (NU) System, with $416.6 million in new funds committed in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. This is the first time that fundraising has exceeded $400 million in a single year.

In addition, 60,602 donors gave a gift to support the University of Nebraska, the best year ever for the number of individual supporters.

“The generosity we’ve seen this year is a powerful reflection of the deep pride and commitment that Nebraskans, our alumni and friends around the world feel for the University of Nebraska,” said University of Nebraska President Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. “Even more so today, our donors believe in our mission, and I’m extraordinarily grateful for their investment in recruiting and retaining excellent faculty, advancing transformative research, providing scholarships that open the door to a University of Nebraska education, and so much more.”

Gifts were made to support all campuses: the University of Nebraska at Kearney, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, University of Nebraska Medical Center and its clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine, University of Nebraska at Omaha and Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis. Gifts came from alumni, friends of the university, foundations and corporations.

Almost all gifts received, 99%, were restricted to a specific university purpose. That means private support cannot be used to make up for losses in federal or state funding. Gifts were directed according to the donors’ designations, providing significant support for student scholarships, academic and athletic programs, faculty, research and capital projects.

To help make a University of Nebraska education accessible and affordable for all students, 123 endowed student support funds were created across the NU system during the fiscal year. In addition, 14 endowed professorships and chairs were created to recruit and retain excellent faculty and researchers. Endowed funds provide a perpetual source of support for the university because the principal is invested, with annual earnings used to fund the designated purpose.

Four campus giving days — Wear Black, Give Back at UNO, Glow Big Red at UNL, One Day for UNK and For the Greater Good at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine — generated philanthropic support from alumni, students and friends of each campus. Combined, the giving days raised $2.69 million from 17,652 gifts. Glow Big Red achieved a new milestone, with donors giving more than $1 million to support UNL over 24 hours.

“We are thankful to each and every donor for their generosity,” said Brian F. Hastings, president and CEO of the University of Nebraska Foundation. “While philanthropy cannot replace state and federal dollars, it plays a vital role in enhancing the university experience, driving innovation and shaping the future of the University of Nebraska. These investments will grow tomorrow’s workforce and fuel progress across our state. That’s the power of philanthropy — Only in Nebraska.”

Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future has fueled generous private support for the University of Nebraska. The multiyear campaign, which began in 2018, seeks to engage 150,000 benefactors to give $3 billion to support University of Nebraska students, faculty, academic programs and research to address the needs of the state. As of June 30, $2.7 billion has been raised. The campaign has achieved its donor goal, with 155,397 unique donors as of the end of the fiscal year.

Campus Highlights

Highlights from the 2025 fiscal year include:

University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO)
University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)
University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)/Nebraska Medicine
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA)

The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO)

• UNO hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking for a $17.1 million addition to the Biomechanics Research Building. The project’s principal benefactors are Omaha philanthropist Ruth Scott and the William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation. The phase three expansion, which is entirely privately funded, will house the Center for Cardiovascular Research in Biomechanics.

• The Lozier Foundation made a leadership gift to establish a distinguished chair of literacy at UNO. The investment will support UNO’s literacy education programs, including training for Nebraska teachers.

• Two Omaha sisters, Karen C. Olson, M.D., and Nancy D. Olson, committed a combined $1.56 million to support Omaha Athletics.

• Maverick supporters Yano and Cindy Mangiameli established a scholarship for the goalie of the Omaha Hockey program. Maureen “Mo” and Nick Borman of Omaha established the Borman Family Scholarship for the team’s right defenseman position.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)

• The Omaha-based Peter Kiewit Foundation pledged $6.6 million to support the Peter Kiewit Foundation Engineering Academy. The gift will provide full cost of attendance scholarships to up to 40 students in the academy’s 2025 cohort.

• Carol Krutsinger of Norfolk, Nebraska, made a $4 million deferred pledge through her estate to support ag-related priorities at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL.

• The engineering and design firm Olsson pledged $1 million to create an endowed chair for the College of Engineering. Olsson is the first corporation to establish and fully fund a chair in the college.

  Cindy and Mick McCaffrey of Tiburon, California, made a $4 million gift to establish an endowed fund to support student workers in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications.

• UNL alumna Catherine “Kit” Schmoker made a leadership gift to support the Kit and Dick Schmoker Reading Center’s expansion of its services to communities, schools and children throughout Nebraska. The center provides future teachers with hands-on opportunities to work one-on-one with young readers.

The University of Medical Center (UNMC)

• Multiple gifts were received to support Project Health, a $2.19 billion health care facility at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine. Project Health, the result of a public-private partnership, will serve as a clinical learning center to train the next generation of health care providers, conduct research and offer clinical trials. The facility will be built on the medical center’s main campus in Omaha.

• Multiple gifts were made to support a $36 million project to bring a breakthrough proton therapy treatment to the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. Proton therapy focuses an extremely targeted dose of radiation to treat tumors, minimizing damage to surrounding tissues and reducing side effects.

• Donors made gifts toward the creation of the Kenneth Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., Distinguished Chair in Breast Cancer Clinical Research, in memory of the late Dr. Cowan, who served as director of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center for more than two decades.

• The Holland Foundation made a gift commitment to create a presidential chair in cardiovascular sciences at UNMC and to support the Healing Arts program at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine.

• William Northwall, M.D., a former Kearney radiologist and UNMC alumnus, created a full cost-of-attendance medical school scholarship for a student from greater Nebraska who attends the UNMC College of Medicine on the UNK campus.

The University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK)

• UNK alumni Merle A. and Kay Horst made a $500,000 gift to create scholarships for undergraduate students from farming communities majoring in accounting or business administration at UNK.

• Multiple gifts were received to increase the pipeline of UNK students hoping to practice health care in rural Nebraska. The Health Science Education Center II is scheduled to open early next year as part of the Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex on the UNK campus. Because of this UNK-UNMC initiative, more students will be able to study and train in rural Nebraska for health care professions.

• Multiple gifts were received to honor Nebraska’s one-room and rural school teachers as part of the One Room, One Teacher scholarship program. The program pays tribute to Nebraska educators while raising scholarship funds for UNK College of Education students.

• A former chair of the UNK sociology department, the late Ruth Ann Pigott Janssen, Ph.D., left a nearly $2.25 million estate gift to support scholarships and other priorities in the sociology department as well as a future capital project at UNK.

Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA)

An anonymous donor made a nearly $1.2 million gift to support a planned $12 million project to create the Student Success and Activity Center, part of an effort to modernize facilities and boost enrollment at NCTA.

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Fundraising results are reported in accordance with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s Global Reporting Standards.