Number of gifts reaches a new high for second consecutive year
The University of Missouri-Kansas City Foundation collected a record 57,507 gifts during the 2013-14 fiscal year ending June 30.
The number of gifts collected surpassed the previous year –also a record– by almost 7,500 gifts.
The gifts netted $40.12 million for the University of Missouri-Kansas City, taking to more than $219 million the total amount raised through The Campaign for UMKC, a $250 million capital campaign the foundation publicly launched in 2011.
“Support from many generous donors has meant adding vital scholarship dollars; attracting top names to the faculty; and advancing major initiatives that will shape UMKC for many years to come,” said Murray Blackwelder, president of the UMKC Foundation.
Among the major gifts the foundation receive in the 2013-14 fiscal year were:
- A donation of real estate in downtown Kansas City – a gift valued at $6 million – for a future home for the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, the first phase of the proposed Downtown Campus for the Arts.
- A $5.6 million donation from the Hall Family Foundation, including $3 million to the Kansas City Repertory Theatre to renovate Spencer Theatre and lobby; $2 million to the UMKC Department of Theatre for student scholarships; and $600,000 to the Rep.
- A $1 million gift from Jerald and Patricia Burton to support the School of Medicine.
- A $2 million bequest to the School of Law from Kansas City attorney Ralph G. Wrobley to establish the Ralph and Madeline Wrobley Distinguished Professorship in Law and Entrepreneurship.
- A $1.7 million estate gift from Andy and Carol Riley.
Betsey Solberg, chair of the UMKC Foundation board, said foundation leaders are especially excited that the total endowment has grown to more than $275 million, up from $256 million a year earlier.
Chancellor Leo E. Morton called the support for the university “humbling.”
“We know we have something special here – and have for a long time,” Morton said. “The incredibly generous financial support we are getting from alumni and the community is confirmation that others know this, too. We are extremely grateful for this support, which is helping us serve our students, our community and the state of Missouri today, and for many years to come.”
The UMKC Foundation, launched in 2009, is an independent, nonprofit organization that serves as the official fundraising and fund management organization for UMKC.