Each year, California State University campuses are “challenged” to raise the equivalent of 10 percent of their state general fund budget through private sources. For HSU, that figure would have been $5.9 million.
HSU has more donors than students. A total of nearly 9,000 individuals and groups gave to the University, which exceeds the number of students enrolled at the start of the fall 2010 semester (7,902). More than 4,100 alumni donated to HSU last year, many through the Humboldt Loyalty Fund. HLF gifts will be used for projects that directly benefit students, including lab equipment, library supplies, funding for special projects, computer equipment, art supplies and more. Alumni giving, to the Humboldt Loyalty Fund and other areas, exceeded $1 million for the second year in a row.
For the 2010-11 fiscal year, endowments held by the Humboldt State University Advancement Foundation reached $20,106,342 and earned a return of 19.51 percent, the second straight year the endowment earned a return of 10 percent or better. As a result, endowment distributions to the campus this year will total $634,000. Of that amount, $448,000 (71 percent) will fund campus projects, and $186,000 (29 percent) will fund student scholarships.
The Sponsored Programs Foundation (SPF) also saw an increase in private funds received. Total non-governmental grants received by the University, which include those processed by the SPF, totaled $2,413,707, an increase of 28.35 percent over last year.
Among the largest gifts last year was $500,000 for the School of Business. The university has also committed $2 million to rebuilding the school over the next five years and is working with foundations, businesses and alumni to raise an additional $1.5 million.
Some unique gifts to the university include:
• A 1994 Feurich Grand Piano
• An insect collection and display cabinet
• Fishing gear
• A collection of rare Native American books