Whether contributing to the education of an individual student through scholarship support or providing the lead gift for a new facility that will benefit thousands of students, corporations and foundations continue to offer essential financial support for the University of Utah.

During the last fiscal year, the University received 47 percent of its total pri-vate support—or $85 million—from corporations and foundations. Considering the recent state of the economy, which directly affects corporate and foundation giving, the continued support of University programs is encouraging.

“The University of Utah is fortunate to have so many committed corporate and foundation partners despite a sluggish economy,” says J.D. Davis BS’86, director of corporate and foundation programs.

Recently, a gift from the PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning to the College of Engineering funded the design and construction of a solar-powered car by a group of cross-discipline engineering students.

In addition to providing direct support for students, corporate and founda-tion giving allows the University to forge a number of community partnerships. Through financial support from the R. Harold Burton Foundation, the University’s Family Literacy Center, which supports West High School students and their families in structured reading programs, has helped hundreds of Salt Lake area citizens improve their reading skills.

“It’s exciting to see the partnership that forms between the corporation or foundation and the program it is supporting,” says Davis. “Those relationships truly make it rewarding for all involved.”

The Dumke Foundation

The ping of a screaming double and the thud of a foot on a ball can now be heard east of the HPER complex at the Dumke Softball/ Soccer Complex, made possible by a generous gift from the Katherine W. Dumke & Ezekiel R. Dumke Jr. Foundation.

This new facility has given the soccer and softball teams a true home-field advantage and will increase enjoyment for fans by pro-viding bleachers, restrooms, and concessions. It also gives a tremendous boost to the current teams and the U’s recruiting efforts.

“I can’t believe the enthusiasm and increased support the soccer and softball teams have received because of these new facilities,” says Chris Hill MEd’74 PhD’82, director of athletics. “It has gone beyond all our expectations, which we plan to build on.”

A special thanks to Kay and Zeke Dumke for truly stepping up to the plate!