West Virginia University Foundation

What West Virginia University Foundation does

The West Virginia University Foundation is an independent, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization (Tax ID 55-6017181) founded in 1954 that serves as the official fundraising and gift-receiving arm of West Virginia University. Headquartered at One Waterfront Place in Morgantown, West Virginia, the Foundation raises, invests, and stewards private philanthropic support for WVU's students, faculty, academic programs, and healthcare enterprise, including the WVU Medicine children's hospital. It does not sell products or services; rather, it accepts charitable contributions across a broad menu of asset classes — cash, appreciated securities, real estate, tangible personal property, retirement assets via IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder and lead trusts, donor-advised funds, and cryptocurrency (processed through Engiven).

The Foundation's core operational stack consists of an online giving portal (give.wvu.edu), mail and phone intake (800-847-3856), wire transfer processing, and securities transfer handled via a Bank of New York Mellon brokerage account (DTC 0443). Planned giving infrastructure is supported by Stelter Company's Gift Illustrator calculator, the Personal Estate Planning Kit, and a Planning Library of estate-planning guides, supplemented by Giving Docs for donor document management. Direct donor relationships are managed by an in-house planned giving team (Executive Director Matthew Clark, Director Bob Wetzel) and broader development staff in the 101–250 employee range.

The Foundation's revenue mechanics center on outright gifts, planned giving instruments, corporate and foundation grants, annual giving ($1–$49,999 tier), major gifts, and endowment management. Programs funded include scholarships ($48M annually, part of $433M in total financial aid at the Morgantown campus), the WVU Medicine Golisano Children's Hospital ($215M facility, 150+ beds), the EQT Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Lab (Evansdale Campus), the MAVERICK mobile clinical trials motorcoach, the WVU Eye Institute building campaign, endowed chairs, and donor-advised scholarships. Donor recognition is administered through the Irvin Stewart Society for planned giving and Outstanding Philanthropy Awards.

Name

West Virginia University Foundation

Legal name

West Virginia University Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://wvuf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The West Virginia University Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1954, that serves as the official fundraising and gift-receiving arm of West Virginia University, accepting donations across cash, securities, real estate, retirement assets, and cryptocurrency to support WVU scholarships, research, and WVU Medicine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Fundraising and Planned Giving Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

Keywords

• Charitable fundraising services
• Planned giving programs
• Endowment management
• Donor stewardship
• Gift planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Morgantown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Outright Gifts (Cash, Securities, Property): The foundation receives outright gifts of cash, stocks, real estate, tangible personal property, and other assets. Donors receive federal income tax charitable deductions when they itemize. Gifts of appreciated securities allow donors to eliminate capital gains tax on appreciation.
2. Planned Giving Programs: The foundation accepts gifts through wills and living trusts (bequests), charitable gift annuities (paying fixed amounts for life), charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance, and donor-advised funds. These generate future revenue streams and immediate tax benefits for donors.
3. Corporate and Foundation Relations: Corporate gifts include gifts in kind (artwork, equipment, software, licensing), matching gifts, and grants from corporate foundations. Corporate gifts in kind of $25,000 or more require substantiation with inventory and value documentation.
4. Annual Giving: Annual giving supports programs with gifts ranging from $1 to $49,999, enabling donors to give on a recurring basis.
5. Endowment Management: The foundation manages endowed funds for scholarships and programs. Each year a portion of endowment earnings is used to support WVU's mission while the principal remains invested. Endowed gifts create perpetual revenue streams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The West Virginia University Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that serves as the official fundraising arm of West Virginia University. It accepts and processes charitable contributions (cash, securities, real estate, IRA rollovers, cryptocurrency, gifts in kind), operates a planned giving program (bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder and lead trusts, donor-advised funds), manages endowed funds in perpetuity, and stewards major capital campaigns supporting WVU students, faculty research, WVU Medicine, and named facilities such as WVU Medicine Golisano Children's.

Product overview

The WVU Foundation operates as a comprehensive charitable giving platform for West Virginia University, offering multiple donation vehicles and planned giving services. The core offering consists of an online giving portal (give.wvu.edu) for immediate donations alongside a robust planned giving program featuring charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder/lead trusts, IRA charitable rollovers, and estate planning resources. The foundation manages securities transfers, cryptocurrency donations via Engiven, gifts in kind, and real estate donations. Funded programs include WVU Medicine Golisano Children's (children's hospital), the EQT Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Lab, scholarship programs ($433M+ annual financial aid), and the MAVERICK mobile clinical trials initiative. Estate planning support is provided through the Gift Illustrator tool, Personal Estate Planning Kit, and Planning Library guides, all powered by Stelter Company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Giving Program Secure online donation portal (give.wvu.edu) enabling individual donors to browse funds and complete cash contributions via credit card or bank transfer, supporting gifts ranging from $1 to $49,999.
• Major Giving Program Personalized, development-officer-led engagement service for high-value donors making major gifts supporting scholarships, research, facilities, and WVU Medicine, including the $28 million Golisano gift and the $60 million Grow Children's campaign.
• Planned Giving Services Comprehensive estate and legacy giving service for donors, encompassing bequests, living trusts, beneficiary designations, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder and lead trusts, donor-advised funds, real estate gifts, and life insurance gifts, supported by the plannedgiving.wvuf.org platform and dedicated planned giving officers.
• Charitable Gift Annuities Life-income gift product where donors contribute cash, securities, or IRA assets to the WVU Foundation in exchange for fixed annual payments for life, with payout rates determined by age at the time of the gift and a one-time QCD funding option up to $55,000 from an IRA for donors 70½ or older.
• IRA Charitable Rollovers (Qualified Charitable Distributions) Qualified Charitable Distribution program enabling donors aged 70½ or older to transfer up to $111,000 per year directly from a traditional IRA to the WVU Foundation without federal income tax, optionally satisfying Required Minimum Distributions from age 73 or seeding a one-time gift annuity of up to $55,000.
• Corporate and Foundation Relations Stewardship and acceptance service for corporate and private foundation partners, including corporate gifts in kind (artwork, equipment, software, licensing), employee matching gift programs, restricted and unrestricted grants, and major capital campaign sponsorships.
• Endowment Management Investment and stewardship service for donor-established endowed funds, applying an annual spend policy to distribute a portion of investment earnings to scholarships and programs while preserving principal in perpetuity.
• Stock and Securities Gift Processing Processing service for gifts of publicly traded securities and physical stock certificates, including electronic delivery through Bank of New York Mellon, with documentation to support capital gains tax avoidance on appreciated assets.
• Cryptocurrency Donation Acceptance Digital-asset donation service enabling donors to contribute cryptocurrency to the WVU Foundation via the Engiven third-party platform.
• Gifts in Kind Non-cash property donation service accepting artwork, books, equipment, furnishings, automobiles, software, and licensing rights, with documentation requirements including IRS Form 8283 for gifts over $5,000 and fair market value substantiation for corporate gifts in kind of $25,000 or more.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $433 million in annual financial aid awarded at WVU's Morgantown campus, including $48 million in scholarships
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Golisano Children's AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025WVU Medicine Golisano Children's joined nine other hospitals nationwide in the newly created Golisano Children's Alliance, a first-of-its-kind national network of children's hospitals dedicated to collaboration, inclusion, and innovation in pediatric care. This alliance positions WVU's children's hospital within a broader ecosystem of leading pediatric institutions.
• EQT FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2023The EQT Foundation funded the construction, renovation, equipment, and furnishings of the EQT Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Lab at WVU's Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering on the Evansdale Campus. The facility opened in April 2026 and supports midstream petroleum engineering curriculum, AI-based pipeline monitoring research, and workforce development. EQT's executive leadership participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the partnership is part of WVU's ongoing industry engagement in the energy sector.
• Steve Antoline and Jeff HostetlercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Campaign co-chairs of the $60 million 'Grow Children's' campaign that funded the WVU Medicine Golisano Children's Hospital, which opened in September 2022. Antoline and Hostetler played important roles in vision-setting and fundraising leadership for the 10-story, $215 million facility.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wvufoundation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/wvufoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/wvufoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/west-virginia-university-foundation-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/wvufoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about West Virginia University Foundation