Foundation Relations

For Foundations

The Office of Foundation Relations’ team can help your organization navigate WSU, and connect and support your engagement with WSU faculty, staff, and students to further your goals and WSU’s world-class research, innovation, and outreach throughout the state and around the globe.

Among the services we provide:

• Aligning your areas of interest with our multidisciplinary faculty
• Promoting gift and grant opportunities
• Coordinating strategy and proposals across the entire WSU system
• Supporting the gift and grant impact reporting process
• Facilitating on- and off-campus visits with your organization and WSU faculty, staff, and leadership

For Faculty

The Office of Foundation Relations’ team is here to assist you. We will work with you to advance your concept and to support the proposal development process for private foundations. OFR encourages you to reach out to our team so that we can provide guidance on opportunities with foundations that are managed centrally.

Among the services we provide:

• Identification, coordination, and research of potential foundation partners
• RFP process guidance and support
• Prepare for discussions and/or meetings with prospective foundation funders
• Letter of Intent and proposal development
• Planning and staffing support for on- and off-campus site visits
• Gift and Grant stewardship and reporting support

For Staff

The Office of Foundation Relations’ team works with WSU Directors of Development, grant administrators, and WSU Foundation staff to provide guidance and best practices for applying to, receiving, and reporting back on foundation funding.

Among the services we provide:

• Coordinating applications to Limited Submission programs, such as the annual M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust opportunities
• Insights on foundations with which we have relationships
• Access to frequently requested financial, legal, and tax documentation
• Support with reporting for awarded grants
• Provide guidance about WSU policies and procedures that affect requests for and acceptance of foundation funding
• Access to frequently requested financial, legal, and tax documentation

Featured News

First-of-its-kind, $1M gift strengthens student support in College of Arts and Sciences

The support comes as affordability, basic needs, and everyday financial pressures are increasingly shaping whether students persist or pause their education.

Fluke and WSU Deepen Partnership to Power the Next Generation of Engineers

Fluke Corporation has gifted industry-standard tools to 4,000+ engineering students across five WSU campuses and establishes Fluke Engineering Lab at WSU Everett.

Crimson 50: Lonny ’65 and Marcia ’66 Suko

Our Crimson 50 series honors Cougs who have been making gifts to Washington State University for 50 years. Their enduring generosity has created lasting opportunities for students, faculty, and communities across Washington and beyond.

Generosity that comes from a love of teaching music

Gary ’67 and Mimi ’69 Jacobson have created a new Student Success Fund to help future Cougs access the transformative musical experiences that defined their lives and careers.

Koerner Fellowship recipient aims to make a difference in power industry

WSU PhD student Daniel Glover, a new Koerner Family Foundation fellow, is focusing his research on bringing safer, smarter AI tools to the nation’s power grid.

New CT scanner to benefit pets throughout the region

Thanks to generous donors, WSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital can deliver faster, more precise diagnoses — improving the outcomes for animals across the Inland Northwest.

National Geographic explorer Robbie Shone to deliver ‘Adventures in Caving’ lecture

WSU’s School of the Environment will host a free, public presentation of “Adventures in Caving,” thanks to the Lane Family Lecture in Environmental Science.

Honors College Bornander Chair unlocks the healing power of music

WSU music professor Melissa Parkhurst used funding from her Bornander Honors Distinguished Chair to bring global artists to campus.

Little Birds takes flight: Inspiring the next generation of Native health leaders

WSU’s Little Birds program introduces Native youth to health sciences through culturally grounded, hands-on experiences, helping students see themselves as future healthcare professionals.