What KSU Foundation does

KSU Foundation (legal name: Kansas State University Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization founded in 1944 and headquartered in Manhattan, Kansas. It serves as the official philanthropic and fundraising arm of Kansas State University, managing the university's endowment, processing charitable contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations, and deploying those funds across student scholarships, faculty positions, capital projects, teaching, and research.

The foundation operates a suite of giving platforms and programs including the K-State Day of Giving (a 24-hour annual fundraising event), K-State Proud (a student-led "Students Helping Students" philanthropy campaign funding Student Opportunity Awards), the K-State Crowdfunding platform, the K-State Legacy Society for planned giving, the K-State Scholarship Network for donor-student matching, and the Edge Collaboration District real estate partnership with the City of Manhattan and the State of Kansas. Distribution occurs through online giving portals, gift officer outreach, and a student-led call center. In FY25, the foundation recorded $296.7M in total gifts and commitments, created 158 new scholarships in FY24, and delivered a +6.63% return on the long-term investment pool.

The revenue model is donations and charitable contributions; as a 501(c)(3), the foundation does not charge for services. Customer segments include alumni and individual donors, corporate partners (Cargill, Burns & McDonnell, Kansas Farm Bureau, Shamrock Trading, Dawn Foods, Holistiplan), other foundations (Keck Foundation), and K-State students as ultimate beneficiaries. Marketing is conducted via digital and social media, email, events, and targeted corporate partnership outreach.

Name

KSU Foundation

Legal name

Kansas State University Foundation

Website

https://ksufoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KSU Foundation is the 501(c)(3) philanthropic arm of Kansas State University, managing the endowment and raising charitable gifts from alumni, corporations, and foundations to fund scholarships, faculty, capital projects, and research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Fundraising and Endowment Management

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI), Major Gifts, Planned Giving & Endowment Development (EDALAOAC), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• University fundraising
• Endowment management
• Charitable giving services
• Scholarship administration
• Planned giving programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Manhattan

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Contributions: KSU Foundation receives donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to support Kansas State University's students, capital projects, teaching, and research. Gifts are received through various channels including online portals, planned giving, IRA distributions, and crowdfunding campaigns.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KSU Foundation (Kansas State University Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization that serves as the official fundraising and philanthropic arm of Kansas State University. It inspires and guides charitable giving, manages the university's endowment, creates and administers scholarships, supports capital projects and academic programs, and stewards donor relationships through planned giving, corporate partnerships, and student-led campaigns.

Product overview

KSU Foundation operates as a university fundraising and philanthropy organization, not a software product company. The foundation offers a suite of giving platforms and programs including K-State Crowdfunding for collective campaigns, the K-State Proud Student Campaign for student-led philanthropy, K-State Day of Giving as an annual 24-hour fundraising event, Student Opportunity Awards for emergency financial aid, Planned Giving through the K-State Legacy Society, scholarship management services, and real estate development via the Edge Collaboration District. These programs work together to inspire and guide philanthropy to advance Kansas State University.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• K-State Proud: Student-led fundraising campaign with the mission 'Students Helping Students'
• K-State Legacy Society
• K-State Day of Giving
• Edge Collaboration District
• Student Foundation
• Cats' Cupboard

Products and services

• K-State Crowdfunding A crowdfunding platform enabling Wildcats worldwide to support university initiatives through collective giving campaigns for specific K-State priorities.
• K-State Proud Student Campaign A nationally recognized student-led fundraising campaign with the mission 'Students Helping Students,' funding Student Opportunity Awards for K-State students with temporary financial need.
• K-State Day of Giving An annual 24-hour giving event where Wildcats worldwide come together to support Kansas State University, raising millions in a single day for university priorities.
• Student Opportunity Awards (SOA) Emergency financial awards granted to degree-seeking K-State students who have exhausted their financial resources, funded through the K-State Proud campaign.
• Planned Giving / K-State Legacy Society Estate planning services allowing donors to include Kansas State University in their wills or trusts, including IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions and blended gifts.
• K-State Scholarship Network A platform connecting scholarship donors with students, managed by the foundation for donor stewardship and scholarship administration purposes.
• Edge Collaboration District A partnership between KSU Foundation, Kansas State University, the City of Manhattan, and the State of Kansas to attract industry and research to the northern edge of K-State's Manhattan campus.

Quantifiable outcome

• $296.7M in total gifts and commitments raised in FY25
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 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 major, core and significant.

• Kansas Farm BureaumajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKansas Farm Bureau pledged $5 million over five years to support K-State College of Agriculture's innovation centers for grain, food, animal and agronomy research. This is the largest donation in the organization's history.
• Stormont Vail HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic academic partnership with K-State's College of Health and Human Sciences' Physician Assistant Program. Stormont Vail provides input on curriculum, offers clinical training at their simulation lab, and is developing the Cotton O'Neil Manhattan Medical Campus in the K-State Research Park.
• Dawn FoodssignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal bakery manufacturer providing the Dawn Foods Bakery Science Scholarship ($5,000 annually to two recipients) and internship opportunities at their facilities. K-State is the only university with a four-year bakery science degree.
• HolistiplansignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerTax, estate, and insurance planning software company providing an endowed scholarship for the personal financial planning program. One of only two institutions nationwide to receive this scholarship. Faculty integrate Holistiplan software into curriculum.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University of Kansas Endowment Association: The official 501(c)(3) fundraising and endowment-management arm of the University of Kansas, KSU Foundation's in-state Big 12 peer. Both organizations run annual giving days, planned giving programs, and multi-billion-dollar campaigns on behalf of their respective public research universities.
• Iowa State University Foundation: Philanthropic foundation for Iowa State University, a fellow land-grant Big 12 institution. Closely comparable in mission (agriculture and engineering-heavy donor base), campaign structure, and scholarship programs.
• Oklahoma State University Foundation: Fundraising arm of Oklahoma State University, another Big 12 land-grant peer with overlapping agriculture and veterinary medicine donor programs, comparable scholarship administration, and similar campaign scale.
• University of Nebraska Foundation: 501(c)(3) foundation serving the University of Nebraska, a fellow Big Ten/land-grant public university. Comparable in endowment management, planned giving, and corporate partnership model for a Midwest public research institution.
• Purdue Research Foundation: Philanthropic and endowment foundation for Purdue University, a fellow land-grant institution with comparable engineering and agriculture donor bases, plus an active research park real estate program analogous to K-State's Edge Collaboration District.
• Texas A&M Foundation: Official fundraising foundation for Texas A&M University, a much larger-scale land-grant peer. Comparable in structure (named endowments, scholarship management, planned giving), and a useful benchmark for KSU Foundation's next-stage campaign scale.
• University of Missouri Extension and Foundation: Philanthropic arm of the University of Missouri, a fellow SEC-adjacent Midwest public research university with similar scholarship, alumni engagement, and corporate partnership models.

Broad incumbents

• Mizzou Alumni Association: Alumni engagement and donor-relations organization for the University of Missouri. Overlaps with KSU Foundation's alumni giving, events, and stewardship functions, and is a useful comparator for alumni-driven fundraising capacity.
• K-State Alumni Association: The alumni engagement counterpart to KSU Foundation, jointly driving Wildcat donor pipelines. While not a fundraising foundation itself, it is a critical partner and peer in the alumni-driven philanthropy ecosystem.

Others

• Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE): Professional association for advancement professionals at educational institutions, including university foundations. Sets fundraising benchmarks and standards that KSU Foundation operates against, making it the primary industry-association peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ksu_foundation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/KSUFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/ksufoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kansas-state-university-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/ksu_foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about KSU Foundation