Colorado State University Foundation

What Colorado State University Foundation does

Colorado State University Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation incorporated in 1970 and headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado (601 S. Howes St., Suite 300), serving as the dedicated "perpetuity partner" for Colorado State University's private philanthropy. Its core function is endowment management: receiving, investing, and stewarding charitable gifts from individual and organizational donors, then transferring the proceeds to CSU to fund student scholarships, faculty positions, academic programs, research, and institutional infrastructure. Since inception, the Foundation has transferred more than $1.31 billion to CSU across four impact categories — Faculty Support & Research ($245M), Academic Program Support ($347M), Student Scholarship & Financial Aid ($291M), and Infrastructure & Institutional Support ($431M) — and has generated an 8.56% annualized investment return since 1991.

Operationally, the Foundation runs on standard nonprofit financial infrastructure: endowment portfolio management, gift processing (including a dedicated securities-gift workflow through RBC Wealth Management broker Brandon Gorsky), donor-relationship systems managed jointly with University Advancement IT and CSU Academic Computing & Network Services, and reporting via Power BI. It holds no patents, proprietary technology platforms, or APIs. Revenue is non-commercial and entirely philanthropic, sourced from online donations, securities transfers, and endowed-gift instruments; there is no pricing model or fees charged to beneficiaries. Distribution channels include a website-based donation portal (give.colostate.edu), DTC-mediated securities gift processing, and structured endowed-gift agreements for scholarships, chairs, professorships, and programmatic support.

Governance is exercised through a volunteer Board of Directors of up to 15 voting members plus ex-officio representation from the CSU System Board of Governors and CSU senior leadership (President Amy Parsons; VP/CFO Brendan Hanlon). The Foundation employs approximately 15 staff (per firmographic data) plus a broader operational team that includes Accounting, Fund Services, Gift Services, Legal, HR, and Information Systems functions. The Foundation does not sell goods or services, has no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no outside equity ownership; it operates as an independent perpetual endowment manager whose sole customer beneficiary is Colorado State University.

Name

Colorado State University Foundation

Legal name

Colorado State University Foundation

Website

https://foundation.colostate.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Colorado State University Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, incorporated in 1970, that manages endowments and invests philanthropic gifts on behalf of Colorado State University, transferring proceeds to fund students, faculty, research, and institutional programs in perpetuity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Endowment Management

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

Keywords

• Endowment fund management
• University philanthropy services
• Charitable gift administration
• Nonprofit investment management
• Donor fund stewardship

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Collins

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations and Endowed Gifts: The CSU Foundation receives, manages, and invests charitable gifts from donors. These include endowed gifts that provide perpetual support, annual scholarships, and one-time gifts. The Foundation transfers funds to CSU to support faculty, academic programs, student scholarships, and institutional infrastructure.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Colorado State University Foundation receives, manages, and invests charitable contributions from individual and organizational donors to benefit Colorado State University in perpetuity. Core activities include endowment investment management, online and securities-based gift processing, scholarship and fund administration, and fiduciary oversight through a volunteer Board of Directors. Since 1970, the Foundation has transferred more than $1.31 billion to CSU across faculty support, academic programs, student scholarships, and institutional infrastructure.

Product overview

The Colorado State University Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in 1970 that serves as Colorado State University's "perpetuity partner." The Foundation's primary offering is endowment management and philanthropic services—receiving, managing, and investing donor funds to benefit CSU and its students, faculty, researchers, educational programs, and communities. The Foundation does not operate a technology product or software platform; rather, it provides donor-facing services including gift processing, endowment management, investment stewardship, and fund distribution. Key services include electronic and physical securities gift processing, endowment investment management with a stated 8.56% annualized return since 1991, scholarship and fund administration, and fiduciary oversight by a Board of Directors. Since inception, the Foundation has transferred over $1.31 billion to CSU across four impact areas: Faculty Support + Research ($245M), Academic Program Support ($347M), Student Scholarship + Financial Aid ($290M), and Infrastructure + Institutional Support ($430M).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Endowment Management Professional management and investment of donor-endowed funds for Colorado State University, achieving an 8.56% annualized return since 1991 and transferring over $1.31 billion to CSU since 1970. Designed for individual and organizational donors seeking perpetual philanthropic impact.
• Online Donation Portal Website-based giving channel accessible at give.colostate.edu that processes online donations for the Foundation's various funds and campaigns. Available to individual and organizational donors.
• Securities Gift Processing Processing service for appreciated marketable securities gifts, accepting electronic transfer via DTC (Clearing #0235, Account #327-29188) through RBC Wealth Management, as well as physical certificates and stock power forms.
• Scholarship and Fund Administration Setup, maintenance, and ongoing administration of endowed and annual scholarship funds, faculty chairs, professorships, and programmatic funds that honor donor intent and disburse awards to CSU students and programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Since 1970, transferred over $1.31 billion to CSU
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Colorado State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1970The CSU Foundation serves as Colorado State University's dedicated perpetual philanthropy partner. The Foundation receives, manages, and invests all charitable gifts in support of CSU, transferring funds to advance teaching, learning, and research. The partnership includes unification with the Division of University Advancement.
• Colorado State University System Board of GovernorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CSU System Board of Governors has ex-officio representation on the Foundation's Board of Directors through Betsy Markey, ensuring alignment with university system governance.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Daniels Fund: Colorado-based private foundation focused on education, aging, and community. Compares as a regional grantmaking peer; Morris Price (CSUF Governance Chair) was a founding employee, indicating ecosystem overlap.
• Colorado Trust: Colorado-focused health and education philanthropy foundation. Compares as a regional grantmaking peer; Board member Deb DeMuth was previously its EVP/CFO and Morris Price served as VP of Grants.

Direct peers

• UNLV Foundation: University of Nevada Las Vegas's philanthropy and endowment arm, also led previously by Scott Roberts as President. Same 501(c)(3) perpetual-partner model supporting a public research university.
• University of Connecticut Foundation: UConn's dedicated fundraising and endowment management foundation, structurally identical to CSU Foundation. Direct comparable given Scott Roberts previously served as its President and CEO and Brendan Hanlon's UConn educational background.
• Oklahoma State University Foundation: OSU's perpetual philanthropy partner managing endowed gifts, scholarships, and donor funds for a land-grant university. Highly comparable given shared mission, structure, and prior executive overlap (Scott Roberts was VP of Development there).

Broad incumbents

• Texas A&M Foundation: Major land-grant university foundation with a substantially larger endowment. Comparable in mission and land-grant affiliation, but operates at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Stanford Management Company: Endowment investment office for Stanford University, a sector leader in endowment returns and alternatives investing. Compares as a best-in-class benchmark for CSU Foundation's investment performance and structure.

Regional players

• University of Northern Colorado Foundation: UNC's philanthropic foundation serving a Colorado-based public university. Comparable mission and state footprint, but smaller scale and distinct regional focus.
• University of Colorado Foundation: Philanthropic foundation for the University of Colorado system. Comparable mission and Colorado footprint, but serves a multi-campus system rather than a single institution.
• University of Wyoming Foundation: Wyoming's public university endowment and fundraising foundation. Comparable in structure and mission; serves a neighboring Mountain West land-grant institution rather than competing in the same territory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/csu-foundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Colorado State University Foundation