University of Hawaii Foundation raises $100 million during COVID pandemic

The University of Hawaii Foundation raised just over $100 million in fiscal year 2021, exceeding the $80 million goal it set during the COVID-19 pandemic.

UH’s primary fundraising organization reported that more than 19,000 donors gave to the school this year. Students benefited the most, as $32.3 million of the year’s donations went to student aid, followed by the $28.4 million that went to faculty and academic support.

“The resilience demonstrated by our students, faculty and staff over the past year and a half has been amazing, and this generous support from donors underscores the community’s appreciation of the critical importance of the University of Hawai‘i and their recognition of our effectiveness as one of the nation’s great public higher education systems,” said UH President David Lassner in a statement.

Though the COVID-19 outbreak spelled financial difficulties for many, Tim Dolan, UH Foundation CEO and vice president of advancement, said it may have made Hawaii donors more generous.

“Student aid was definitely up. And it probably wasn’t a surprise, because students were very vulnerable, with a lot of them losing some of their part-time work. So, donors stepped up and helped them,” Dolan said.

Student aid donations totaled $13.2 million in FY 2020 and $27.3 million in FY 2019.

The $100.2 million is the most the foundation has raised since FY 2018.

“This strength in fundraising underscores the commitment of the community, corporations and foundations to the university and to growing this pillar of Hawai‘i’s economy amid challenging times caused by the pandemic,” Rich Wacker, chairman of the UH Foundation board of trustees, said in a statement.

In FY 2018 the foundation raised $180 million, although most of the funding was the $117 million donation by alumnus and real estate investor Jay Shidler.

During FY 2020 the UH Foundation raised $84.7 million, and in FY 2019 raised $71.6 million. The fluctuation in donation totals is normal, Dolan said.

Notable donations include $5 million from the HMSA Foundation to establish the Learning Innovations Endowment to support UH’s John A. Burns School of Medicine’s Learning Community program. A $5 million, 10-year sponsorship from Bank of Hawaii renamed the Stan Sheriff Center to SimpliFi Arena.

The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation donated $2.3 million to help low- income and first-generation Windward Oahu middle and high school students enroll in college.

The College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources’ GoFarm Hawaii program, which supports beginner farmers, received a $2 million donation from American AgCredit.