KEARNEY – Private support for the University of Nebraska at Kearney totaled $11.5 million in fiscal year 2026, helping advance rural health education, student opportunities and other priorities across the university.
The UNK support was part of a record fundraising year for the University of Nebraska. The University of Nebraska Foundation announced that donors committed $532.8 million in new funds during the fiscal year ending June 30 – the first time annual fundraising has exceeded $500 million. Across the NU System, 58,433 donors made gifts during the year.
“Surpassing the $500 million fundraising mark is a historic show of support for the University of Nebraska by our community,” NU System President Dr. Jeffrey Gold said. “This milestone reflects the increasing confidence of 58,433 alumni and friends who believe in the power of Nebraska’s only public university system to educate students, drive discovery and serve the state. Yet, we remain dependent on our critical partnership with the state of Nebraska, which is our largest funding source.”
The record year adds to the success of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future, a multiyear campaign supporting students, faculty, academic programs and research across the University of Nebraska. The campaign has exceeded both its $3 billion fundraising goal and its goal of engaging 150,000 benefactors ahead of its 2027 conclusion.
Nearly all gifts received – 99% – were designated by donors for specific university purposes, including student scholarships, academic and athletic programs, faculty, research and capital projects. Because those gifts are restricted to donor-designated purposes, private support cannot be used to offset reductions in state funding.
“The Only in Nebraska campaign has inspired record private support for the University of Nebraska,” said Brian Hastings, president and CEO of the University of Nebraska Foundation. “We’re grateful for the generosity of donors and look forward to building on this momentum through the final year of the campaign.
“While philanthropy cannot replace state or federal funding, it is essential to advancing priorities that grow Nebraska’s workforce and fuel progress across our state and beyond.”
Among the gifts supporting UNK in fiscal year 2026:
- Multiple gifts supported the UNK Endowed Fund for Rural Health Initiatives, a permanent endowment that provides support for rural health programs and initiatives at UNK, including the Kearney Health Opportunities Program. The William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation also served as the lead donor for the Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex, which UNK and UNMC opened in January. The complex expands healthcare education in Kearney and includes the new three-story, 110,000-square-foot Health Science Education Center II.
- The Scottish Rite Foundation of Nebraska committed $550,000 to support the UNK RiteCare Clinic. Part of the Department of Communication Disorders, the clinic provides speech therapy services to underserved populations across Nebraska while giving UNK graduate students valuable hands-on training.
