Lilly Endowment Inc. announced Monday Ball State University exceeded its private gift goals for an endowment program and received $2.59 million in matching money from the company.
Lilly donated a total of $96.5 million to 28 Indiana colleges and universities as part of the endowment's Special Initiative to Strengthen Philanthropy for Higher Education Institutions.
In order to receive the $2.59 million, Ball State had to raise at least $2 million on its own between June 1, 2005 and Dec. 31, 2006, a goal that was easily met by the university, John Park, special assistant to the president, said.
Ball State received about $46 million in total gifts during the 2006-07 academic year, and about $21.5 million of that met the criteria to count toward the Lilly Endowment. The maximum dollar reward for the endowment was $2.59 million, however.
"It was a great opportunity for us, and it really gave us the opportunity to give incentives to [donors]," Park said. Ball State was able to influence donors to contribute to specific areas of the university by offering to use the Lilly Endowment money to match their contributions, he said.
One of Ball State's top priorities in the fundraising campaign was to increase scholarship dollars in order to attract more students, Park said. Merit scholarships collected $1.6 million of the endowment, while $700,000 went to individual colleges and departments, and $150,000 will go to help fund a new recreation and wellness center.
The goal of the endowment was to help strengthen donations to colleges and universities from trustees, alumni and faculty, Gretchen Wolfram, communications director for Lilly Endowment Inc., said.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
