Oklahoma State University Foundation

What Oklahoma State University Foundation does

The Oklahoma State University Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 400 S. Monroe in Stillwater, Oklahoma, serving as the exclusive private fundraising arm for Oklahoma State University. The foundation unites donor dollars with university priorities to fund scholarships, endowed faculty positions, research, and campus improvements across 14 colleges and units. Its core product, OSUgiving.com, is a PCI DSS-compliant web platform with secure online donation processing, a fund-search interface by college or area of interest, and the PhilanthroPete crowdfunding sub-platform. Supporting products include a secure donor login portal, campus-facing reporting and invoicing portals, and integrated giving flows across web, phone (800-622-4678), and mail channels.

The foundation's go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer alumni engagement with sales-led corporate and foundation relations. The Cowboy Callers program deploys approximately 70 student fundraisers four days a week, contacting alumni, parents, and friends (22,000+ prospects in FY2018). The Corporate & Foundation Relations team cultivates enterprise partnerships across talent pipeline, research, employee engagement, and community impact. The Women for OSU program adds a $1,000-annual membership tier with voting rights on Partnering to Impact grants (max $15,000 each; 20 initiatives funded since 2020), and the Student Foundation ambassador program cultivates future-alumni giving culture. Customer segments span individual alumni/friends, corporate partners (Google, Phillips 66, BOKF), private foundations (Carl and Marilynn Thoma Foundation), and current students who benefit from donor-funded programs.

Revenue is generated entirely through charitable donations and gift streams, including one-time cash gifts, pledges, estate planning contributions, and endowed scholarship programs. Named major gifts documented include Mitchell $57.2M (2008), Dolese ~$70M stock (2012), Morsani $28M+, Clerico $16M+, Weidner $10M (2025), Heinzig/McMillan $6.75M (2024), Humphreys $6M, Google $2M (2025), BOKF $2M (2025), and recurring Thoma commitment of up to $2M/year. The foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees and led by President Blaire Atkinson, with a leadership team including Jayme Ferrell (Associate Vice President), Annie Wells (Director, Women for OSU), and Jana Duffy (Senior Director of Regional Development in North Texas). Technology is standard web infrastructure with Microsoft Copilot generative AI used for operational efficiency under an internal AI Usage Policy.

Name

Oklahoma State University Foundation

Legal name

Oklahoma State University Foundation

Website

https://osugiving.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Oklahoma State University Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves as the exclusive private fundraising arm for Oklahoma State University, managing donor dollars for scholarships, endowed faculty positions, research, and campus improvements across 14 colleges and units via the OSUgiving.com platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Fundraising

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB), Major Gifts, Planned Giving & Endowment Development (EDALAOAC)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Stillwater

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations and Gifts: The foundation receives various types of gifts including cash donations, pledged gifts, estate planning contributions, and endowed scholarships. Donors can give to specific colleges, units, or areas of interest such as scholarships, research, faculty support, and campus enhancement.
2. Endowed Scholarship Programs: Establishes endowed scholarships and programs with named donors, including the Thoma Scholars Program committing up to $2 million per year for cost-to-attend scholarships for rural students.
3. Partnering to Impact Grants: Women for OSU Partners program where members contribute minimum $1,000 annually (or $500 for those under 35) to fund campus grants up to $15,000 for health, education, campus beautification, and arts projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Oklahoma State University Foundation is the private fundraising organization for Oklahoma State University. It accepts and administers charitable gifts (cash, pledges, estate planning, endowed scholarships) and directs those funds toward scholarships, faculty support, research, athletics, campus enhancement, and other university priorities. The Foundation stewards donor relationships through online giving (osugiving.com), crowdfunding (PhilanthroPete), the Women for OSU philanthropy network, corporate and foundation partnerships, student-led programs (Cowboy Callers, Student Foundation), and estate planning services.

Product overview

OSUgiving.com is a unified online fundraising platform operated by the Oklahoma State University Foundation. The core product enables donors to make gifts, search funds by college/unit or area of interest, and manage donor accounts. Supporting products include: PhilanthroPete (crowdfunding platform), secure Donor Login Portal, and OSU Campus Invoices/Reports for internal university operations. The Women for OSU program offers a Partners sub-program with annual membership at $1,000, the Partnering to Impact grants (campus project funding up to $15,000), an Annual Symposium, and Student Scholarship awards. Student engagement programs include Cowboy Callers (student caller fundraising) and Student Foundation (StuFu) ambassadors. Corporate Engagement Services facilitate industry partnerships. The platform collectively supports the university's mission through donor cultivation, scholarship funding, and corporate/foundation relations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PhilanthroPete: OSU's crowdfunding platform which invites donors to discover their orange passion and help students turn their brightest ideas into a reality.
• Women for OSU
• Cowboy Callers
• Student Foundation

Products and services

• OSUgiving.com Online Giving Platform Secure unified online platform operated by the OSU Foundation that lets individual donors, alumni, parents, and friends search for giving funds by college or area of interest and submit donations online.
• PhilanthroPete Crowdfunding Platform Crowdfunding platform that lets donors discover specific OSU student and faculty projects and contribute directly to initiatives they want to support.
• Women for OSU Partners Program Annual membership program for women donors contributing $1,000/year ($500 for those 35 and younger) that grants voting rights on Partnering to Impact campus grants and exclusive invitations to Women for OSU events.
• Partnering to Impact Campus Grants Program Grants program awarding up to $15,000 per project to fund unbudgeted campus initiatives in Health & Wellness, Education, Campus Beautification, and Arts and Culture, with recipients selected by Women for OSU Partners members.
• Women for OSU Annual Symposium Annual signature event of the Women for OSU program featuring keynote speakers, the Philanthropist of the Year award, student scholarship presentations, and Partnering to Impact grant announcements.
• Women for OSU Student Scholarship Program Annual scholarship program funded through Women for OSU that recognizes outstanding OSU students and includes the Student Philanthropist of the Year honor.
• Cowboy Callers Program Phone-based fundraising outreach program staffed by approximately 70 OSU student callers who contact alumni, parents, and friends to solicit donations focused on academic and financial student support.
• Student Foundation (StuFu) Ambassador Program Student ambassador organization that educates current OSU students on philanthropy, establishes a culture of giving among future alumni, and thanks donors who invest in the university.
• Corporate & Foundation Relations Partnership Services Partnership development service for corporations and foundations, cultivated by a dedicated Corporate & Foundation Relations team to enable talent pipeline, R&D collaboration, employee engagement, and community impact partnerships with OSU.

Quantifiable outcome

• Doubling of undergraduate engineering degrees awarded annually since 2012 due to Dolese scholarship support
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major and flagship.

• Phillips 66majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership with Spears School of Business to launch the Commodity Cowboys Program, connecting students with industry expertise and career opportunities.
• Carl and Marilynn Thoma FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Established the Thoma Scholars Program at OSU, committing up to $2 million per year to provide cost-to-attend scholarships for rural students from Northwest Oklahoma, West Texas, and Eastern New Mexico. Scholars are admitted to The Honors College and receive mentorship support. Once fully matriculated with 20 students per class, this will be one of the most impactful scholarship programs at OSU.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University of Nebraska Foundation: University of Nebraska Foundation is a Big Ten land-grant peer operating the same university-affiliated private fundraising foundation model, with directly comparable endowed scholarship programs, major gift cultivation, and donor society structures.
• University of Oklahoma Foundation: The University of Oklahoma Foundation is the direct in-state peer and primary Big 12/regional fundraising rival to the OSU Foundation, operating the same private 501(c)(3) foundation model to raise private donations, manage endowments, and fund scholarships for a major Oklahoma public university.
• Texas A&M Foundation: Texas A&M Foundation is a Big 12 land-grant peer operating an analogous private fundraising and endowment management model for a large flagship public university, making it directly comparable in scale, donor programs (giving societies, major gifts, endowed chairs), and capital campaign approach.
• Kansas State University Foundation: Kansas State University Foundation is a Big 12 land-grant peer that operates the same university-affiliated private fundraising foundation model, providing a directly comparable benchmark for donor engagement programs, endowment management, and student caller pipelines.
• Iowa State University Foundation: Iowa State University Foundation is a Big 12 land-grant peer institution foundation with directly comparable structure: private 501(c)(3) fundraising arm for a major public research university, managing endowments, scholarships, and donor stewardship programs.
• West Virginia University Foundation: West Virginia University Foundation is a Big 12 peer operating the same private fundraising and endowment management model for a large state university, providing directly comparable programs in annual giving, major gifts, and corporate engagement.
• University of Arkansas - Arkansas Alumni Association: The Arkansas Alumni Association is a peer SEC land-grant affiliated organization with directly comparable alumni engagement, donor cultivation, and fundraising programs targeting a flagship public university in a comparable regional market.

Broad incumbents

• Baylor University Development Office: Baylor University is a large private Texas university with a broader advancement operation; while not a land-grant institution, it competes for the same regional alumni and corporate donor pool in the Southwest/Midwest and runs comparable major gift, scholarship, and capital campaign programs.
• Texas Christian University (TCU) Development: TCU's advancement operation is a broader Texas-based private university fundraising peer that competes with the OSU Foundation for the same Big 12 alumni, corporate, and foundation donor pools in the Southwest region.

Others

• GiveCampus: GiveCampus is a leading digital fundraising platform serving higher education institutions; it is comparable as an enabling technology provider that powers crowdfunding, peer-to-peer fundraising, and giving day programs for university foundations including direct OSU peer institutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OSUFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/OSUFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oklahoma-state-university-foundation

Compliance2 records

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 Oklahoma State University Foundation