The USM Foundation

What The USM Foundation does

The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation (the USM Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 118 College Drive #5210, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, operating as the official private fundraising arm of The University of Southern Mississippi. Established with the Honor Club donor recognition society in 1985 (with institutional roots to 1959) and governed by a board of directors under Executive Director Stace Mercier, the Foundation raises and manages charitable contributions from alumni, faculty, staff, corporate partners, and private foundations to support scholarships, endowed faculty positions, academic programs, building projects, and student services.

The Foundation's product surface centers on a digital giving ecosystem built on the iModules constituent engagement platform, the Eagle Fever peer-to-peer crowdfunding portal, and the Academic Works-powered Golden Opportunities Scholarship System. Supporting programs include a Matching Gifts database, Endowment Management (with a $25,000 minimum to establish an endowment and a 1.5% administrative fee), an Annual Fund, Planned and Deferred Gifts, Payroll Deduction, and a Corporate and Foundation Relations service. Donor stewardship is delivered through tiered recognition societies — Honor Club, McCarty Legacy, and the Aubrey K. Lucas Society — alongside annual events including a Black Tie Gala and a 36-hour Gold Rush giving campaign.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through charitable contributions rather than commercial sales. Streams include outright gifts (cash, checks, credit cards, marketable securities), deferred planned gifts (bequests, charitable gift annuities, remainder trusts, IRA QCDs), corporate and foundation grants, and endowment spending distributions. In FY2018 the Foundation reported total gifts of $21.3 million, FY2021 gifts exceeded $18 million despite the pandemic, and the endowment surpassed $100 million; in FY2021-22 the Foundation awarded 2,170 scholarships worth more than $4.8 million. Major donor anchors include the Duff Family Foundation ($30 million in planned gifts, 2020), the Luckyday Foundation (more than $8.7 million, 2018), and the Tolosas ($7.8 million planned gift). The Foundation serves a single end customer — Southern Miss students and the broader university — and operates exclusively within Mississippi.

Name

The USM Foundation

Legal name

The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation

Website

https://usmfoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The USM Foundation is the 501(c)(3) private fundraising arm of The University of Southern Mississippi, raising and managing charitable gifts, endowments, and planned bequests from alumni, faculty, corporate partners, and foundations to fund scholarships, faculty positions, academic programs, and building projects for Southern Miss students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Fundraising Services

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• University fundraising
• Scholarship administration
• Endowment management
• Planned giving services
• Donor recognition programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Hattiesburg

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 - Outright Gifts: Cash, checks, credit card gifts, and marketable securities donated to support scholarships, faculty positions, building projects, and academic programs.
2. Planned Giving: Deferred gifts including bequests, charitable gift annuities, remainder trusts, and life insurance designations to support long-term endowment growth.
3. Endowment Income: Endowment funds invested with annual spending allocation (1.5% administrative fee) providing ongoing support for scholarships and programs in perpetuity.
4. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Philanthropic grants from corporate foundations and private foundations to support specific academic initiatives and programs.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The USM Foundation is a nonprofit fundraising organization that serves as the primary private-support arm for The University of Southern Mississippi. It manages donor contributions, endowments, planned gifts, scholarships, and crowdfunding campaigns to provide scholarships, faculty support, building projects, and academic programs for the university community.

Product overview

The USM Foundation operates as a nonprofit fundraising organization for The University of Southern Mississippi, offering a suite of digital giving and scholarship management products. The core platform includes an Online Giving Platform built on iModules, enabling one-time and recurring donations with PayPal/Venmo integration. Supporting products include Eagle Fever (crowdfunding), Golden Opportunities Scholarship System (Academic Works-powered), Matching Gifts Program, Endowment Management, Annual Fund, Planned Giving, and Corporate/Foundation Relations services. Donor recognition programs include Honor Club, McCarty Legacy, and Aubrey K. Lucas Society. Together, these products form an integrated ecosystem supporting private fundraising for scholarships, faculty positions, building projects, and academic programs at Southern Miss.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Giving Platform Web-based donation platform enabling one-time gifts, pledges, and recurring gifts via credit card, processed through iModules with PayPal and Venmo payment options for alumni, friends, and supporters of Southern Miss.
• Eagle Fever Crowdfunding Online fundraising tool that connects social media, peer-to-peer relationships, and collective giving through 30-day project-based campaigns supporting Southern Miss initiatives.
• Golden Opportunities Scholarship System Online scholarship application and management system powered by Academic Works that enables Southern Miss students to search, apply for, and accept scholarship awards.
• Endowment Management Service for establishing and managing endowments with a minimum of $25,000, including investment management and annual spending allocations to provide permanent funding for scholarships and faculty support.
• Planned & Deferred Gifts Estate planning giving options including bequests, charitable gift annuities, remainder trusts, and qualified charitable distributions (IRA rollover) for donors 70.5 years or older to support long-term endowment growth.
• Annual Fund Annual giving program funding immediate needs including scholarships, faculty support, library resources, and study abroad programs at Southern Miss.
• Matching Gifts Program Program enabling donors to increase the impact of their gifts through employer matching, with a searchable database of participating companies and assistance processing matching gift forms.
• Corporate and Foundation Relations Service assisting USM faculty and staff in building relationships with corporate and foundation partners to solicit philanthropic gifts and grants supporting academic initiatives.
• Endowed Academic Positions Initiative Fundraising initiative supporting endowed professorships and academic chairs to attract and retain distinguished faculty members at Southern Miss.
• Payroll Deduction Giving Recurring gift option allowing USM employees to make monthly donations through automatic payroll deduction.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,170 scholarships awarded worth more than $4.8 million in FY 2021-22
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University of Georgia Foundation: Endowment and fundraising foundation for the University of Georgia; operates the same grantmaking/scholarship/endowed position model for a large public SEC university.
• Clemson University Foundation: Institutionally related foundation supporting Clemson University with scholarships, endowed faculty positions, and capital projects; similar scope and donor demographic as USM Foundation.
• LSU Foundation: Institutionally related foundation for Louisiana State University; parallel model for scholarships, endowed chairs, and capital campaigns at a Southeastern public research university.
• University of Tennessee Foundation: Fundraising and endowment foundation for the University of Tennessee; directly comparable in operating model, scholarship administration, and corporate/foundation relations at a peer SEC institution.
• Mississippi State University Foundation: Fundraising and endowment foundation for Mississippi State University; same state, similar size of regional public university, and parallel scholarship/endowment mission, making it a direct peer in the same geographic market.
• University of Alabama Foundation: Endowment and fundraising foundation for the University of Alabama; similar structure serving a public SEC university with comparable scholarship, faculty, and capital project programs at larger scale.
• Auburn University Foundation: Endowment and private support foundation for Auburn University; comparable structure, donor-base profile (alumni-led SEC giving), and mix of scholarship/endowed position fundraising.
• The University of Mississippi Foundation: Institutionally related foundation for Ole Miss, also a public Mississippi university; identical structure (501(c)(3) fundraising/grantmaking arm) and overlapping regional donor pool, making it the closest direct comparable.
• University of Kentucky Philanthropy: Philanthropic arm for the University of Kentucky; parallel SEC public university foundation model covering scholarships, endowed chairs, and capital campaigns.

Regional players

• Tulane University Development: Philanthropic and endowment arm of Tulane University, a private research university in New Orleans; shares the same Southern regional donor ecosystem and higher-education fundraising model, though a private institution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/USMFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theusmfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 The USM Foundation