What The Marshall University Foundation does

The Marshall University Foundation Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in West Virginia that serves as the primary fundraising, alumni relations, and scholarship-administration entity for Marshall University in Huntington, WV. It operates from the Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall and Erickson Alumni Center, opened in 2010 and renamed after former Intuit CEO Brad D. Smith upon his installation as Marshall's 38th president. The foundation manages a portfolio of giving vehicles including annual fund donations, major gifts ($25,000+), planned giving (bequests, retirement plan assets, life insurance, revocable trusts), endowed scholarships ($25,000 minimum, 4% spending policy), expendable scholarships ($1,000+ annually for 4+ years), and corporate/foundation grants. Its offerings also include a crowdfunding platform (give.marshall.edu), a PerksConnect alumni discount network, the annual Day of Giving (1837 Minutes for Marshall) virtual fundraising event, and event venue services at Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall.

The foundation serves three primary constituencies: Marshall University students (recipients of 2,700+ privately funded scholarships totaling $6.4 million annually), 120,000+ living alumni (engaged through 25+ geographic chapters, Herd Connect mentorship, ambassador programs, and benefits programs), and major donors/philanthropists (recognized through tiered societies ranging from the Old Main planned-giving society up to the Legacy Society at $5M+). The flagship strategic initiative is Marshall For All, launched in 2023 and capitalized by a $50 million gift in September 2025 from President Brad D. Smith and First Lady Alys Smith, with a stated goal of enabling all Marshall students to graduate debt-free by 2037.

Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: alumni chapters, ambassador networks, peer-to-peer giving, and marquee events (Day of Giving, Homecoming, Alumni Awards Banquet, Marshall Day at the Capitol) drive donor acquisition and stewardship. Distribution runs through a multi-channel giving portal (online, phone, mail, payroll deduction for faculty and staff) supplemented by direct outreach from a development team led by a President/CEO, VP for Development, Senior Directors of Philanthropy and Annual Giving, and Directors of Operations and Donor Engagement. Recent funding inflows include a historic $50M gift, $500K Leith endowment, $125K Appalachian Power grant, $35K Embraer grant, $39.8K Teubert grant, and $431,611 raised in 30 hours during Day of Giving 2026.

Name

The Marshall University Foundation

Legal name

Marshall University Foundation Inc.

Website

https://formarshallu.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Marshall University Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that manages fundraising, alumni relations, and scholarship administration for Marshall University, awarding $6.4M annually to 2,700+ students across a 120,000+ alumni network and operating the Marshall For All debt-free education program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Fundraising and Alumni Relations

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

Keywords

• University fundraising services
• Alumni relations
• Scholarship endowment management
• Planned giving programs
• Higher education advancement

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntington

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Fund Donations: Recurring annual donations from alumni, parents, friends, and community members supporting the university's general operating budget and student scholarships.
2. Major Gifts: Significant contributions of $25,000 or more, often combined with naming rights for capital projects, faculty positions, and programs. Major gifts can take the form of cash, appreciated stocks or bonds, real estate, or other assets.
3. Planned Giving: Deferred gifts including retirement plan assets, life insurance, bequests, and revocable trusts that provide long-term sustainable support.
4. Endowed Scholarships: Endowed scholarship funds established with minimum $25,000 gifts, generating annual spending allocations (4% policy) for student awards. Endowments provide perpetual revenue stream while expendable funds distribute immediately.
5. Expendable Scholarships: Annual scholarship awards funded through contributions of $1,000 or more annually for a minimum of four years, applied directly to recipients' educational expenses.
6. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Grants from corporate foundations (Appalachian Power Foundation, Embraer Foundation, Teubert Charitable Trust) supporting specific programs, scholarships, equipment, and student emergency funds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Marshall University Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that raises, manages, and distributes philanthropic funds on behalf of Marshall University. It runs individual giving channels (Annual Fund, major gifts, planned/bequest gifts, payroll deduction), administers endowed and expendable scholarship programs with tiered minimum gift amounts, hosts alumni engagement programs through 25+ chapters and mentoring/ambassador initiatives, and operates the Marshall For All debt-free degree initiative. It also markets ancillary services such as the PerksConnect alumni discount network and rents out the Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall event venue.

Product overview

The Marshall University Foundation operates as a university advancement organization managing alumni relations, fundraising operations, and student scholarship services. The organization offers a suite of engagement platforms including the PerksConnect alumni discount network and a crowdfunding platform for campus initiatives. Additional offerings include event venue rental services at Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall and the annual Day of Giving virtual fundraising campaign. The Foundation also provides career education services through Handshake, alumni mentoring programs through Herd Connect, and maintains numerous alumni chapter networks across geographic regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Marshall For All: A program designed to allow students to earn their bachelor's degree without student loans, with the goal of ensuring all Marshall students can graduate debt-free by 2037.
• Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall

Products and services

• PerksConnect Alumni Discount Program A member benefits platform providing Marshall University alumni with access to exclusive discounts on travel, entertainment, insurance, shopping, dining, and local/national offers through a network of partner merchants.
• Marshall Crowdfunding Platform A crowdfunding platform enabling Marshall students, faculty, staff, and alumni to create and manage passion-based fundraising campaigns for approved campus projects and initiatives.
• Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall Event Venue A premier event facility on Marshall's Huntington campus housing the Erickson Alumni Center, featuring venues for weddings, receptions, conferences, and alumni events including the Rotunda, Conference Center, and Alumni Lounge.
• Day of Giving (1837 Minutes for Marshall) An annual 30-hour virtual fundraising event supporting scholarships, academic programs, and campus priorities, featuring matching gift opportunities and ambassador-driven donor engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,713 privately donated scholarship awards to 1,906 different students totaling $6.4 million annually
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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 and minor.

• Wing 2 Wing FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation co-founded by Brad and Alys Smith in 2019 supporting educational, entrepreneurial, and environmental opportunities in Appalachia. Launched Ascend West Virginia (2021) and First Ascent West Virginia (2023) programs for remote workers and young professionals.
• Delta Hotels (Downtown Huntington and Barboursville)minorOthersPreferred lodging partners for alumni and visitors attending events at Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall, offering discounted rates for Marshall community.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• University of Kentucky Philanthropy: Direct peer for fundraising and alumni engagement at a regional public research university, employing analogous major gift, annual giving, planned giving, and corporate/foundation relations programs in Appalachia-adjacent territory.
• East Tennessee State University Foundation: Direct peer operating philanthropy and alumni relations for a similarly sized Appalachian public university, with overlapping donor segments (regional alumni, corporate/foundation grants, medical/health sciences scholarships).
• Appalachian State University Foundation: Direct peer advancing a regional Appalachian public university in North Carolina, with a comparable mix of endowed scholarships, annual Day of Giving events, alumni chapters, and corporate/foundation grants.
• Ohio University Foundation: Direct peer serving as the fundraising and stewardship body for a Mid-Appalachian public university, with similar scholarship endowment, alumni chapter, and annual giving operating model.
• West Virginia University Foundation: Direct state peer operating the fundraising and alumni relations arm for West Virginia's flagship public university, with similar scholarship, major-gift, and corporate-partnership programs in the same regional economy.
• Virginia Tech Foundation: Direct peer operating advancement (fundraising, alumni, endowment) for a large regional public research university in Appalachia, with comparable scholarship, major gift, and corporate partnership structures.

Others

• Ruffalo Noel Levitz (Anthology): Vendor providing fundraising counsel, annual giving, digital engagement, and advancement analytics services to university foundations across higher education — an enabling ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.
• EverTrue: Technology and data platform serving university advancement and alumni relations teams, including tools for donor prospect research, engagement scoring, and alumni travel — adjacent ecosystem participant to foundations like Marshall's.

Broad incumbents

• Purdue University Foundation: Larger public-university foundation operating in the same university advancement space, but at significantly greater scale and with a broader portfolio of endowed chairs, scholarships, and corporate partnerships than Marshall.
• Ohio State University Foundation: Broad incumbent operating a much larger university advancement program with deeply scaled annual giving, planned giving, endowment, and alumni engagement functions relevant as a structural benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/formarshallu
• Facebookfacebook.com/formarshallu
• Instagraminstagram.com/formarshallu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marshall-university-foundation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Marshall University Foundation