The University of Nebraska Foundation Friday (Aug. 21) announced record private support for the University of Nebraska, with $532.8 million in new funds committed in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026. This is the first time annual fundraising has exceeded $500 million, reflecting the generosity of donors who have chosen to invest in the University of Nebraska. During the fiscal year, 58,433 donors made a gift to support the University of Nebraska.
The FY26 fundraising results helped fuel the success of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future. The multiyear campaign, which began in 2018, seeks to engage 150,000 benefactors to give $3 billion to support University of Nebraska students, faculty, academic programs and research to address the state’s needs. The campaign, which will conclude in September 2027, has exceeded both the donor and fundraising goals.
“Surpassing the $500 million fundraising mark is a historic show of support for the University of Nebraska by our community,” University of Nebraska President Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, said. “This milestone reflects the increasing confidence of 58,433 alumni and friends who believe in the power of Nebraska’s only public university system to educate students, drive discovery and serve the state. Yet, we remain dependent on our critical partnership with the State of Nebraska, which is our largest funding source.”
Gifts were made to support all campuses: the University of Nebraska at Kearney, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, University of Nebraska Medical Center and its clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine, University of Nebraska at Omaha and Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis. Gifts came from alumni, friends of the university, foundations and corporations.
Almost all gifts received, 99%, were restricted to a specific university purpose. That means private support cannot be used to make up for losses in state funding. Gifts were directed according to the donors’ designations, providing support for student scholarships, academic and athletic programs, faculty, research and capital projects.
To help make a University of Nebraska education accessible and affordable for all students, 116 endowed student support funds were created across the NU system during the fiscal year. In addition, 28 endowed faculty support funds were established to recruit and retain excellent faculty and researchers. Endowed funds provide a perpetual source of support for the university because the principal is invested, with annual earnings used to fund the designated purpose.
“The Only in Nebraska campaign has inspired record private support for the University of Nebraska,” said Brian Hastings, president and CEO of the University of Nebraska Foundation. “We’re grateful for the generosity of donors and look forward to building on this momentum through the final year of the campaign. While philanthropy cannot replace state or federal funding, it is essential to advancing priorities that grow Nebraska’s workforce and fuel progress across our state and beyond.”
Philanthropic highlights and FY26 fundraising totals by institution are as follows:
University of Nebraska–Lincoln, $243.2 million
- Donors supported the construction of a $35 million addition and renovation to the Lied Center for Performing Arts, which opened in 1990. The Lied Center project will include an iconic new entrance, enhanced lobbies and a new studio theater.
- Donors supported a $15.9 million project to renovate the second floor of Morrill Hall, including Elephant Hall. The project will protect the museum’s most significant fossil specimens, conserve the historic Elizabeth Honor Dolan murals and position Morrill Hall as a resource for scientific learning and natural history education for another century. The Hubbard Family Foundation and Anne Hubbard, MD, combined their philanthropic efforts to provide the lead gift.
- The Clifton Foundation continued its investment in the Clifton Strengths Institute in the College of Business, established in 2015, by creating the Clifton Strengths Institute Endowment Fund. The gift will support new programming and staff and strengthen and expand the student strengths coaching program and the Clifton Builders Program, which develops students with high leadership and entrepreneurial potential.
- CNH donated two New Holland methane-powered tractors to support agriculture research and education opportunities in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
- Nebraska Athletics received $18.3 million in contributions for the Huskers Student Athlete Experience Fund. These flexible resources enable Nebraska Athletics to invest strategically in student-athlete development, competitive excellence and emerging priorities across all sports.
University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine, $131.2 million
- Donors supported the construction of the Shikhar & Kristin Saxena Health Center in Omaha. The $99.3 million Nebraska Medicine project, which is partially funded by the donor community, is expected to be completed in fall 2027. Shikhar Saxena, MD, and Kristin Saxena, MD, provided a leadership gift to the project.
- Over the next three years, 100 annual scholarships will be awarded to students at any of the five divisions of the UNMC College of Nursing because of a $1.5 million gift from the Bedford Falls Foundation-DAF. Scholarship recipients will receive an average award of $5,000 per year.
- Numerous gifts supported Project Health, a multibillion-dollar healthcare facility that will serve as a clinical learning center to train the next generation of healthcare providers, care for patients, conduct research and offer clinical trials. The hospital will be built on the medical center’s main campus in Omaha.
University of Nebraska at Omaha, $108 million
- Donors supported a $67.5 million privately funded project to add to Omaha Athletics’ facilities south of Center Street. Included in the phase three project are two new facilities — the Howard L. Hawks Training Center and a baseball and softball clubhouse. Construction is beginning this year.
- Jennifer Lemke, EdD, one of Nebraska’s leading scholars in literacy, was named the inaugural recipient of the Lozier Endowed Presidential Chair in Literacy, UNO’s first presidential chair, because of a gift from the Lozier Foundation. A presidential chair is one of the university’s most prestigious faculty awards.
- The Mellon Foundation committed $2.5 million to support Humanities in Action: The Maverick Internship Program, which provides paid internship opportunities at nonprofits for humanities majors. The program is designed to introduce UNO students to the professional workplace and connect them to career pathways.
University of Nebraska at Kearney, $11.5 million
- Multiple gifts supported the UNK Endowed Fund for Rural Health Initiatives, a permanent endowment to be used at the chancellor’s discretion to support rural health programs and initiatives at UNK, including the Kearney Health Opportunities Program. UNMC and UNK opened the Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex, the largest rural healthcare teaching facility in the country. The complex expands UNMC’s academic programs in Kearney and includes the new three-story, 110,000-square-foot Health Science Education Center II, which opened in January, along with the original Health Science Education Center I. The William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation served as the lead donor.
- The Scottish Rite Foundation of Nebraska committed $550,000 to support the UNK RiteCare Clinic. Part of the Department of Communication Disorders, the clinic provides speech therapy services to underserved populations in Nebraska and hands-on training for UNK graduate students.
Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA), $928,098
- With fundraising now complete, construction is expected to start in early 2027 on the Student Success and Activity Center. The project will create a place for students to study, gather and hold events and provide an accessible dining hall. Philanthropists Barbara and Wally Weitz pledged a $6 million gift in 2023 to renovate and expand “The Barn,” which was originally built in 1917.
Additional support was provided for priorities and initiatives of the University of Nebraska System and University of Nebraska Foundation. Fundraising results are reported in accordance with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s Global Reporting Standards.