MSU Foundation posts fundraising record

Driven by the Onward Upward capital campaign, the Missouri State University Foundation reported a fundraising record in fiscal 2020.

The university's fundraising arm brought in $22.7 million in donations for the fiscal year ending June 30. The previous record of $21.5 million was set in fiscal 2018, according to a news release, and fundraising has surpassed $20 million in each of the last three years.

“This money creates student scholarships, helps renovate and build facilities, and supports faculty endeavors at Missouri State," MSU Foundation Executive Director Brent Dunn said in the release.

The fundraising total includes last month's eight-figure gift from the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based C.W. Titus Foundation in support of MSU's College of Arts and Letters. It also includes millions of dollars worth of donations from southwest Missouri businessman Bill Darr and the estate of the late Linda and Larry Hale.

MSU officially launched the Onward Upward capital campaign in October 2019, but donations in previous fiscal years are counted toward its $250 million goal.

With the latest donation from the C.W. Titus Foundation, MSU reported it had raised more than $185 million of the $250 million tally. School officials are seeking to raise the full amount by the end of 2022.