$384.5 million in private support raised, a CU record

Private contributions to CU set a new record this year, with more than $384.5 million in support coming from individuals, foundations and corporations, CU President Bruce Benson announced Sept. 7.

The preliminary total for the fiscal year that ended June 30 represents a new single-year record and is an increase of 4.5 percent over the fiscal year 2015. That total of $367.9 million included the gift of The Wildlife Experience facility – now the home of CU South Denver – from the family of Dave and Gail Liniger. The property’s $40 million value made it the largest real estate donation in CU history.

“We are extremely grateful to our donors and alumni, to charitable foundations and corporations, whose generous contributions help support our vision to be one of the top public universities in the world,” Benson said. “Our success in fundraising directly benefits students, faculty, programs and initiatives, and adds value to CU’s high-quality academic and research enterprises.”

This preliminary figure, which includes funds given through both the University of Colorado Foundation and the university, marks the seventh consecutive year in which CU has exceeded the previous year’s total, setting records in each. More than 54,000 individuals, foundations and corporations made nearly 67,000 gifts to support student scholarships, facilities, research and more on CU’s four campuses.

The record $384.5 million total broken down by campus is:

• University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus: $203 million
• University of Colorado Boulder: $145.8 million
• University of Colorado Colorado Springs: $19.5 million
• University of Colorado Denver: $14.8 million
• CU system: $1.3 million

At UCCS, an example of private support was a gift from Helen Clement, a retired registered nurse. In a recent commitment, including a current gift and bequest expected to total about $3.4 million, Clement will provide full scholarships annually to two undergraduates at the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences. The commitment will eventually enable many more scholarships in health and medicine.