Donations to Kansas State University in fiscal year 2023 reached more than $226.4 million in private gifts through the Kansas State University Foundation, closely mirroring last year’s all-time-record fundraising of $235 million.
The value of K-State’s long-term investment pool, managed by the KSU Foundation, reached $952.3 million as of June 30, 2023. The Foundation’s investment performance has consistently outperformed college and university peers in the past few years, ranking No. 7 among the nation’s university and college endowments in 2022.
“The stellar performance of foundation staff, combined with the generosity of our alumni and friends, is having a tremendous impact at K-State through significant new gifts for facilities, faculty endowments and scholarships,” said Greg Willems, president and CEO of the KSU Foundation.
One of the truly remarkable highlights of the year was securing over $75 million, in record time, to compete for matching funds from the state of Kansas for the university’s Ag Innovation Initiative. In February, K-State President Richard Linton certified the amount — raised through collaboration between the foundation and College of Agriculture in just four months — and the state awarded $25 million in matching funds.
“The K-State community of donors — alumni, friends and corporate partners — came together this year to advance not only K-State, but also the 105 counties we serve,” said Linton. “Now more than ever, private gifts are central to the success of K-State students, faculty and programs, and to our ability to deliver on our promise to become a next-generation land-grant university. It is an honor to thank all our generous donors who supported K-State this year and every year.”
Other key achievements for the 2023 fiscal year included:
- Donors established 152 new scholarships to address student need.
- A $3 million gift helped Cats’ Cupboard build a new food pantry facility.
- A total of $47.9 million was raised for scholarships and student success overall.
- Donors gave a record-breaking 11 gifts of $5 million or more, as well as 36 gifts of $1 million or more.
- The largest-ever outright corporate gift to Kansas State University was secured at $10 million from General Atomics for the Salina campus.
- The fifth named deanship at Kansas State University, the Eldon Gideon Dean of the College of Agriculture, was established through a $5 million endowed gift.
- Construction began on a third KSU Foundation-development office building, located at 1960 Kimball Avenue in the Edge District. The 80,000 square-foot development is scheduled for completion in July 2024.
Giving totals for Kansas counties in fiscal year 2023, including number of donors and amount by county, are:
| County | Number of donors | Contributions |
| Allen | 66 | $16,120.66 |
| Anderson | 50 | $14,740.75 |
| Atchison | 114 | $107,446.75 |
| Barber | 49 | $23,628.00 |
| Barton | 252 | $8,458,859.84 |
| Bourbon | 39 | $13,006.69 |
| Brown | 135 | $306,023.30 |
| Butler | 439 | $1,283,355.00 |
| Chase | 46 | $12,771.00 |
| Chautauqua | 11 | $950.00 |
| Cherokee | 27 | $4,892.00 |
| Cheyenne | 24 | $9,952.00 |
| Clark | 29 | $246,374.00 |
| Clay | 162 | $94,679.10 |
| Cloud | 122 | $198,688.00 |
| Coffey | 90 | $92,030.91 |
| Comanche | 10 | $21,350.00 |
| Cowley | 146 | $80,604.00 |
| Crawford | 94 | $99,846.41 |
| Decatur | 48 | $49,884.80 |
| Dickinson | 318 | $196,456.56 |
| Doniphan | 75 | $135,744.00 |
| Douglas | 505 | $1,312,869.75 |
| Edwards | 31 | $55,711.00 |
| Elk | 16 | $4,412.00 |
| Ellis | 211 | $249,902.75 |
| Ellsworth | 64 | $75,046.00 |
| Finney | 248 | $572,467.06 |
| Ford | 191 | $362,349.00 |
| Franklin | 175 | $424,052.00 |
| Geary | 261 | $539,772.38 |
| Gove | 29 | $189,003.86 |
| Graham | 16 | $15,698.00 |
| Grant | 42 | $8,775.41 |
| Gray | 60 | $154,366.00 |
| Greeley | 13 | $18,314.36 |
| Greenwood | 47 | $17,819.00 |
| Hamilton | 9 | $9,090.00 |
| Harper | 37 | $8,935.00 |
| Harvey | 249 | $328,353.30 |
| Haskell | 45 | $108,325.51 |
| Hodgeman | 19 | $6,475.00 |
| Jackson | 131 | $1,058,662.55 |
| Jefferson | 138 | $90,723.30 |
| Jewell | 43 | $41,638.88 |
| Johnson | 5251 | $17,776,171.37 |
| Kansas | 4 | $430.00 |
| Kearny | 25 | $39,597.00 |
| Kingman | 73 | $70,377.51 |
| Kiowa | 19 | $9,186.00 |
| Labette | 42 | $22,215.00 |
| Lane | 27 | $20,865.00 |
| Leavenworth | 356 | $179,106.39 |
| Lincoln | 35 | $15,288.55 |
| Linn | 33 | $17,147.00 |
| Logan | 33 | $90,684.00 |
| Lyon | 175 | $581,193.72 |
| Marion | 101 | $48,425.00 |
| Marshall | 169 | $586,728.51 |
| McPherson | 311 | $666,797.65 |
| Meade | 36 | $9,820.00 |
| Miami | 227 | $1,323,240.90 |
| Mitchell | 134 | $494,668.00 |
| Montgomery | 96 | $34,524.00 |
| Morris | 126 | $345,988.85 |
| Morton | 8 | $795.00 |
| Nemaha | 185 | $669,129.50 |
| Neosho | 86 | $85,569.00 |
| Ness | 40 | $343,758.00 |
| Norton | 37 | $16,768.00 |
| Osage | 157 | $217,272.00 |
| Osborne | 51 | $42,756.00 |
| Ottawa | 91 | $148,422.45 |
| Pawnee | 63 | $130,753.00 |
| Phillips | 70 | $761,293.00 |
| Pottawatomie | 816 | $905,589.02 |
| Pratt | 123 | $494,408.05 |
| Rawlins | 29 | $7,697.50 |
| Reno | 434 | $486,723.27 |
| Republic | 120 | $195,271.64 |
| Rice | 85 | $51,517.58 |
| Riley | 4114 | $52,975,729.20 |
| Rooks | 44 | $20,809.73 |
| Rush | 31 | $14,263.00 |
| Russell | 73 | $182,135.00 |
| Saline | 737 | $2,687,993.97 |
| Scott | 82 | $1,314,785.57 |
| Sedgwick | 2669 | $6,136,406.96 |
| Seward | 39 | $60,007.88 |
| Shawnee | 1545 | $14,235,488.20 |
| Sheridan | 25 | $22,025.00 |
| Sherman | 39 | $38,745.00 |
| Smith | 46 | $35,526.50 |
| Stafford | 39 | $9,639.00 |
| Stanton | 16 | $3,373.00 |
| Stevens | 25 | $2,865.47 |
| Sumner | 135 | $90,397.50 |
| Thomas | 89 | $174,190.00 |
| Trego | 25 | $26,575.50 |
| Wabaunsee | 164 | $98,377.30 |
| Wallace | 21 | $13,607.00 |
| Washington | 176 | $515,724.34 |
| Wichita | 22 | $6,910.00 |
| Wilson | 36 | $20,321.25 |
| Woodson | 20 | $5,017.00 |
| Wyandotte | 328 | $452,058.71 |
| Totals | 25134 | $123,153,315.42 |
As Kansas State University’s strategic partner for philanthropy, the KSU Foundation inspires and guides philanthropy toward university priorities to boldly advance K-State.