University of Wisconsin Foundation

What University of Wisconsin Foundation does

The University of Wisconsin Foundation, established in 1945, is the official fundraising and gift-receiving organization for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Headquartered at 1848 University Avenue in Madison, it raises, invests, and distributes private contributions for the benefit of UW–Madison, transferring gift and investment income annually to fund scholarships, faculty support, research, and capital projects. Since a 2014 merger with the Wisconsin Alumni Association (founded 1861), it has operated as a division of the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA). It is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 39-0743975) registered to solicit in all states requiring registration, and employs an estimated 101–250 staff.

The Foundation's "products" are a suite of fundraising vehicles and donor services rather than technology offerings: a secure online giving portal (secure.supportuw.org), the Chancellor's Annual Fund, the Great People Scholarship, designated giving for 15 UW–Madison schools and colleges, gift planning (bequests, IRA rollovers, life income gifts, real estate, securities), donor-advised fund grants, and employer matching gifts. It operates tiered leadership giving societies—the 1848 Society ($1,000+/year), Bascom Hill Society, Van Hise Society ($1M+ lifetime), and Wisconsin Legacy Society for deferred gifts—to recognize and retain major donors. The 2013–2020 All Ways Forward campaign organized fundraising around student support, student experience, faculty excellence, and research and innovation.

As a nonprofit, its revenue mechanics are philanthropic: contributions from alumni, parents and families, and corporations/organizations, supplemented by investment income on managed funds. Donations are free to donors, and all services are provided at no cost. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and relationship-driven—digital giving, phone (800-443-6162), direct mail via a U.S. Bank lockbox in Milwaukee, bank transfer/wire, and a field force of development officers aligned to specific schools and programs—reinforced by stewardship communications, alumni events, and peer referral. The Foundation also acts as an institutional investor, participating in 2026 as a new shareholder in a Kaspi.kz ADS purchase alongside other university endowments.

Name

University of Wisconsin Foundation

Legal name

University of Wisconsin Foundation

Website

https://supportuw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The official fundraising and gift-receiving organization for UW–Madison, raising, investing, and distributing private contributions from alumni, families, and corporations to fund scholarships, faculty, research, and capital projects; operates as a division of WFAA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Fundraising Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Major Gifts, Planned Giving & Endowment Development (EDALAOAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• University fundraising
• Charitable gift administration
• Donor stewardship services
• Planned giving programs
• Endowment management

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations and Philanthropic Gifts: The foundation raises private contributions from alumni, friends, and organizations to support the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gifts are received via online portal, mail, phone, bank transfer, IRA distributions, donor-advised funds, securities, and real estate. Each year the foundation transfers gift and investment income to UW-Madison supporting campus priorities including scholarships, building projects, research, and specific school/college initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The University of Wisconsin Foundation is the official fundraising and gift-receiving organization for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It raises, invests, and distributes private philanthropic contributions from alumni, parents, individuals, and organizations to support UW-Madison priorities including student scholarships, faculty support, research, capital projects, and specific school/college programs. Each year the foundation transfers gift and investment income to UW-Madison, operating as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity and a division of the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association.

Product overview

The University of Wisconsin Foundation is a private, nonprofit corporation that serves as the official fundraising and gift-receiving organization for UW-Madison. Rather than a technology product company, it offers a suite of fundraising services and programs including an Online Giving Platform for secure donations, the Chancellor's Annual Fund and Great People Scholarship as priority funding vehicles, and various Leadership Giving Programs (1848 Society, Bascom Hill Society, Van Hise Society, Wisconsin Legacy Society) recognizing donors at different giving levels. The Foundation also provides Gift Planning Services (bequests, IRA gifts, life income gifts), Donor-Advised Fund Giving, Matching Gifts Programs, and designated giving options for all 15 UW-Madison schools and colleges. The organization manages the All Ways Forward Campaign and transfers gift and investment income to support campus priorities including scholarships, building projects, and research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Giving Platform A secure web-based donation portal enabling donors to make one-time or recurring gifts to UW-Madison schools, colleges, departments, and programs. Designed for alumni, parents, and friends of the university who want a digital giving channel.
• Chancellor's Annual Fund The university's most flexible discretionary fund, allowing the chancellor to respond to the most pressing UW-Madison needs including student support, faculty retention, research exploration, and innovative programs.
• Great People Scholarship A scholarship program supporting promising students from low-income backgrounds attending UW-Madison, enabling financial access initiatives including Bucky's Tuition Promise.
• Schools and Colleges Giving Designated giving programs covering 15 UW-Madison schools and colleges including Agricultural and Life Sciences, Engineering, Letters & Science, Law, Education, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine. Donors direct gifts to specific academic units.
• Gift Planning Services Comprehensive planned giving options including bequests and wills, IRA charitable distributions, life income gifts, real estate gifts, and securities/stock donations for donors seeking tax-advantaged or deferred giving arrangements.
• Donor-Advised Fund Giving A service allowing donors to designate gifts from their donor-advised funds (DAFs) to the UW Foundation through grant recommendations to fund administrators. DAF gifts cannot have any benefit returned to the donor.
• Matching Gifts Program An employer matching-gift program that effectively doubles or triples donor contributions. Includes an employer search engine and claim submission process via email or mail.
• Parents Fund A discretionary funding program supporting essential student needs including mental health, student leadership, identity and inclusion, and student advocacy at UW-Madison. Targeted at parents and family members of current students.
• Memorial and Honorary Giving A tribute giving program allowing donors to make gifts in memory or honor of loved ones (including pets), with notifications sent to designated individuals.
• 1848 Society A recognition society for donors providing cumulative annual support of $1,000 or more to high-priority discretionary funds, offering exclusive communications and event opportunities.
• Bascom Hill Society A major donor recognition society for alumni and friends whose generous support contributes to UW-Madison's standing, established in 1965.
• Van Hise Society

Quantifiable outcome

• State funding for UW-Madison has declined from 43% (1974) to 15% of total revenue, making private philanthropy increasingly critical to maintaining university quality and affordability.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Wisconsin Alumni Association (founded 1861) merged with the UW Foundation in 2014 to form the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA). WAA provides alumni engagement opportunities linking UW-Madison alumni to each other and to their alma mater. Both are now divisions within WFAA.
• Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWARF is a private nonprofit that supports scientific research at UW-Madison by patenting university inventions, licensing technologies to companies for commercialization, and returning licensing fees to campus to support further research. Distinct from UW Foundation's fundraising focus.
• UW System Trust FundsminorOthersGifts made to the UW System Board of Regents (governing body for 13 two-year and 13 four-year UW campuses including UW-Madison) are held in a separate trust fund. These gifts are not designated to the UW Foundation.
• University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation (UWMF)minorOthersUWMF is the clinical practice organization for faculty physicians at UW-Madison's School of Medicine and Public Health. Related but organizationally distinct from the UW Foundation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Michigan State University Foundation: Fundraising and endowment-managing entity for Michigan State, another Big Ten peer institution. Similar reliance on declining state appropriations, alumni donor pipeline, and comprehensive giving society structure make it a strong comparable for benchmarking fundraising performance.
• Purdue Research Foundation: Fundraising, endowment-management, and tech-transfer entity for Purdue University, a fellow Big Ten public research university. Comparable as a peer institution combining development and investment functions within a single nonprofit supporting a state-supported university.
• University of Iowa Center for Advancement: Philanthropic arm for the University of Iowa, a Big Ten peer with overlapping alumni networks in the Upper Midwest. Comparable in mission, scope of giving vehicles offered, and reliance on a combined foundation-and-alumni-association structure similar to UW's WFAA.
• The Ohio State University Foundation: Development and gift-receiving foundation for Ohio State, a flagship Big Ten public research university. Mirrors UW Foundation's structure of designated school/college funds, leadership annual giving, and society-based donor recognition at similar scale.
• Indiana University Foundation: Official fundraising and gift-receiving entity for Indiana University, a fellow Big Ten public research university. Operates the same model of school-level development officers, leadership giving societies, planned giving, and donor-advised fund infrastructure, making it one of the closest direct comparables.
• University of Michigan Foundation: Fundraising arm of the University of Michigan, the largest Big Ten endowment and a top U.S. public research university. Closely comparable in mission, scale, and donor base profile, and competes with UW-Madison for the same alumni giving pool in the Midwest.
• Penn State University Development and Alumni Relations: Combined advancement operation for Penn State, a Big Ten public research university. Operates the same end-to-end model of alumni engagement, annual giving, principal gifts, and planned giving as the UW Foundation, making it a direct structural peer.
• University of Illinois Foundation: Centralized fundraising and investment management arm for the University of Illinois System. Comparable as a Big Ten, state-supported public university foundation managing multi-unit development and a large endowment under similar state-funding pressures.
• University of Minnesota Foundation: Philanthropic arm for the University of Minnesota, another Big Ten peer with a similar Midwest alumni base and shared employer matching pool. Comparable in scale, donor pyramid, and reliance on private giving to offset declining state support.

Others

• Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA): The merged parent organization of the UW Foundation and the Wisconsin Alumni Association. Not a competitive peer but the consolidated entity that effectively encompasses the UW Foundation's fundraising, alumni engagement, and investment functions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WisAlumni
• Facebookfacebook.com/wisalumni
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-wisconsin-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University of Wisconsin Foundation