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The Augustana Fund

Gifts that empower innovation, build on tradition and provide the means to distinguish Augustana as a great institution of the liberal arts and sciences.

The three main drivers of our annual budget are tuition and fees, endowment draw and the Augustana Fund. Each year the $2 million to $2.5 million raised for the Augustana Fund bolsters our strategic initiatives, strengthens our programs and promotes the success of our 2,500 students.

These funds come in big and small gifts from alumni, friends and parents. They are especially important because they are flexible, allowing us to respond to unexpected challenges and to new opportunities that create an outstanding academic environment and vibrant college life.

• The Augustana Fund is a key source of scholarships that help students and families afford a great Augustana education. About 99 percent of Augustana students receive financial aid. Gifts of many sizes are combined to provide hundreds of scholarships that can bring an Augustana education within reach for students of all backgrounds.

• A healthy Augustana Fund helps us add an academic major or new sport, and helps keep students enrolled when their promised state funding doesn’t materialize.

• The Augustana Fund helps all students find community at Augustana and participate in the things that make college life exciting. Internships, choir and band, sports, research, study abroad, volunteer projects and student clubs are supported by the Augustana Fund.

• Many rankings, including the one from U.S. News and World Report, and scores granted to institutions of higher education take into account the percentage of alumni who give back. When more alumni give to the Augustana Fund, the college scores better. Funding organizations take notice.

For more information about the Augustana Fund, contact Erin Williams, director of annual giving, 309-794-7176.

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Yemurai Mapurisa

Donor impact!

Yemurai Mapurisa was registering for classes her second year when she realized she could not pay her full tuition. Donor-funded scholarships saved her college education.