{"id":45797,"date":"2026-02-03T13:44:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T19:44:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/?p=45797"},"modified":"2026-02-03T13:44:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T19:44:33","slug":"a-record-shattering-fundraising-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/2026\/02\/a-record-shattering-fundraising-year\/","title":{"rendered":"A record-shattering fundraising year"},"content":{"rendered":"

UND Alumni Association & Foundation secures nearly $120 million in gifts during 2025; endowment now exceeds half a billion dollars<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Confetti
Confetti falls and the crowd reacts in the Gorecki Alumni Cetner at UND, as DeAnna Carlson Zink, CEO of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, announces organization’s record-breaking fundraising year. Photo by Jasmine Koenig, digital media coordinator and photographer for the UND Alumni Association & Foundation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The UND Alumni Association & Foundation had “shattered” previous fundraising records, securing $119.95 million in gifts during the 2025 calendar
\nyear.<\/p>\n

CEO DeAnna Carlson Zink made the announcement during the 2026 State of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation Address, held Jan. 29 at the Gorecki Alumni Center in Grand Forks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am absolutely thrilled, humbled, and overjoyed to announce that in the calendar year 2025, our alumni and friends have not just broken our previous fundraising record, they have shattered it,\u201d Carlson Zink told the audience of alumni and university leaders.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is historic. This is transformational. This is legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The previous fundraising record was $100.5 million set in fiscal year 2024.<\/p>\n

\"DeAnna
DeAnna Carlson Zink, CEO of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, addresses the crowd on Jan. 29 in the Gorecki Alumni Center as she delivers her annual State of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation Address, Photo by Jasmine Koenig, digital media coordinator and photographer for the UND Alumni Association & Foundation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By the numbers: A historic year<\/h2>\n

The $119.95 million total was fueled by 11,294 donors, who made a total of more than 13,600 gifts. The organization also saw a significant surge in new support, with 2,755 first-time donors contributing in 2025 \u2014 a 54% increase over the previous 12-month reporting period.<\/p>\n

Included in the total was strong support across all key areas of the university:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • $34.2 million for facilities<\/li>\n
  • $32.4 million for student support<\/li>\n
  • $29.6 million for faculty and programs<\/li>\n
  • $23.7 million for priority needs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \"Ava
    Ava Leifur, a senior kinesiology major at UND, talks with DeAnna Carlson Zink, CEO of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, in connection with Carlson Zink’s State of the AA&F address on Jan. 29. For the past three years, Leifur has helped digitize 100 years of the UND Alumni Magazine in the Chester Fritz Library\u2019s Department of Special Collections; and in the course of that work, she has learned much about her own ancestors, several of whom graduated from UND. Photo by Jasmine Koenig, digital media coordinator and photographer for the UND Alumni Association & Foundation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Endowment surpasses half a billion dollars<\/h2>\n

    Carlson Zink also revealed that the UND Alumni Association & Foundation\u2019s endowment has reached a new all-time high of $510.7 million. This growth
    \nallowed for a payout to UND of $15.3 million in 2025 to support scholarships, faculty and research, an increase of 10% over the previous year.<\/p>\n

    \u201cA healthy endowment is the engine that powers your legacy and secures UND\u2019s future,\u201d Carlson Zink said. \u201cIt empowers our university to provide an exceptional education that enriches lives today, while ensuring your values continue to shape North Dakota and the world for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The address also highlighted several major capital projects supported by donor funding, including:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Completed in 2025: The Nodak Insurance Company Sports Performance Center<\/li>\n
    • 2025 Groundbreaking: Phase one of the UND STEM Complex, which will serve more than 40% of the student body<\/li>\n
    • Future Vision: A proposed Health Professions Collaborative Facility to house the College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines and expand biomedical research capabilities. This facility requires legislative approval and partnership.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Today\u2019s event marks the first time the organization has reported its financial results on a calendar year basis, a shift designed to align with State Board of Higher Education regulations for audit reporting and better reflect donor giving patterns.<\/p>\n

      \"Confetti
      Confetti almost completely obscures view of DeAnna Carlson Zink, CEO of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, who is delivering her State of the AA&F Address at the Gorecki Alumni Center on Jan. 29. Carlson Zink had just shared the news of the Association & Foundation’s record fundraising year when the confetti floated down. Photo by Jasmine Koenig, digital media coordinator and photographer for the UND Alumni Association & Foundation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      UND Alumni Association & Foundation secures nearly $120 million in gifts during 2025; endowment now exceeds half a billion dollars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":45811,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1126,38],"class_list":["post-45797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-around-und","tag-affinity","tag-alumni-association-foundation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA record-shattering fundraising year - UND Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"UND Alumni Association & Foundation secures nearly $120 million in gifts during 2025; endowment now exceeds half a billion dollars\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/2026\/02\/a-record-shattering-fundraising-year\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A record-shattering fundraising year - UND Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"UND Alumni Association & Foundation secures nearly $120 million in gifts during 2025; 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