Our mission... The Eastern Illinois University Foundation exists for the following purposes: To encourage and provide private support to Eastern Illinois University, including the region which the University serves, and to promote the ideals of volunteerism and philanthropy among alumni, friends, and employees of the University; To assist and support Eastern Illinois University's educational and cultural mission through encouraging philanthropic gifts of cash, property and other materials of educational and artistic value; To enhance the educational activities of Eastern Illinois University students and employees by participating in and supporting academic and artistic programming through scholarships and grants.

A Word of Thanks

One of the Foundation’s primary purposes is to promote volunteerism and philanthropy among alumni, friends and employees of Eastern Illinois University, and through these gifts, provide scholarships and grants that enhance educational opportunities, and support academic and artistic programs for the University and its students.

It has been rewarding to see the steady growth of the endowment and the addition of new scholarships and funds to the Visionary Society. We are grateful for the heartfelt support of our donors who have unselfishly given so that others may have opportunities and experiences that might not otherwise have been available to them. It is encouraging to see the academic vitality that occurs when doors are opened for students who are the beneficiaries of such generosity and thoughtfulness. We often hear our donors’ stories of success and accomplishment and the desire to turn their good fortune into gifts helping others reach their goals.

The Foundation, as a steward of these funds so generously given, is ever mindful of its fiduciary responsibility to protect these gifts, and to invest them wisely to ensure these funds continue to provide benefits far into the future. In fiscal year 2006, the Foundation distributed over 600,000 dollars in scholarships and over 860,000 dollars in grants to the University. On Dec. 31, 2006, our investment consultants, Hammond Associates, reported the Foundation endowment was valued at $34.2 million and had returned 7.6 percent on an annualized basis since the July 1998 inception with their firm. The one-, three- and five-year returns were 10.7 percent, 15.4 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively. Our Finance Committee frequently reviews and analyzes the performance of our endowment portfolio, and, after much study and deliberation, recently made significant adjustments that will provide even greater growth and earnings potential of the endowment.

We will continue to be good stewards of the funds you have entrusted with us. However, market performance alone will not enable us to keep pace with the University’s needs. As costs continue to increase, and as state funding of education tightens, your gifts will become increasingly important.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you for your generous and dedicated support, which provides us the means to continue serving your University, its programs and its talented students.