The Foundation receives, invests and administers funds to benefit the University of Nevada, Reno by providing a mechanism for private individuals, corporations and foundations to make charitable gifts to the University while honoring the philanthropic intent of donors.
A single institution anchors the University of Nevada Reno Foundation’s grantmaking: the University of Nevada Reno in Reno. The largest recent awards in the record go to University Programs, with one 2025 grant of $23,043,974 and additional University Programs support of $21,851,684 in both 2024 and 2025. That pattern shows a funder built around sustained, large-scale support for the university’s core operations and priorities rather than a broad external grant portfolio. The foundation also directs major gifts to capital projects and scholarships. Recent awards include $12,643,574 for Capital Projects and $7,540,651 for University Scholarships in 2025, alongside a separate $7,207,456 scholarship grant in both 2024 and 2025. Alumni-related support appears as well, through grants to the University of Nevada Reno and the University of Nevada Alumni Association. Across the record, the foundation functions as the charitable vehicle through which private individuals, corporations, and foundations can make gifts to the university while honoring donor intent.
University Programs is the clearest area of support, with repeated high-dollar grants to the University of Nevada Reno for that purpose, including $23,043,974 in 2025 and $21,851,684 in both 2024 and 2025. Capital investment is another major theme. The foundation gave $12,643,574 to University of Nevada Reno for Capital Projects in 2025, and also made Capital Projects grants of $7,338,391 in both 2024 and 2025. Student aid is a third recurring priority. In 2025, the foundation awarded $7,540,651 for University Scholarships, following scholarship grants of $7,207,456 in 2024 and $5,709,958 in 2023. Alumni support appears in the recent record through grants to the University of Nevada Alumni Association for Alumni Support in 2025 and to the University of Nevada Reno for Alumni Programs in 2024 and 2023.
Grant size is substantial. The typical grant distribution is p25 $2,449,579, median $7,272,924, and p75 $13,720,853. The recent record also shows repeated awards to the same university across multiple years, especially in 2023, 2024, and 2025, which points to recurring support rather than one-off giving. The foundation is a regular funder, not a donor-advised fund, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The grant record is highly concentrated in a single institution and a single state, with all listed grants going to Nevada recipients. The structure of the giving aligns with an institutional support model for University of Nevada Reno.
$80.2M
$530.8M
$52.5M
$53.1M
Most grants fall between $2.4M and $13.7M, with a median of $7.3M.
25th Percentile
$2.4M
Median
$7.3M
75th Percentile
$13.7M
About 100% of grants go to recipients in NV.
Denise Lewis
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All listed grants in the recent record go to Nevada recipients, and the top state by grant count is NV. The funding is concentrated in Reno, where the University of Nevada Reno appears repeatedly as the recipient. Recent grants also include the University of Nevada Alumni Association in Reno, showing that the foundation’s giving extends to affiliated university entities in the same city.
Its recent grants center on the University of Nevada Reno, with repeated support for University Programs, Capital Projects, University Scholarships, and Alumni Programs. The largest recent award is $23,043,974 for University Programs in 2025, alongside other large awards in the same university setting.
The grant-size distribution is large: p25 is $2,449,579, median is $7,272,924, and p75 is $13,720,853. Recent awards also include multiple grants above $20 million, showing that the foundation operates at an institutional scale.
Yes. The same recipient and program categories appear across 2023, 2024, and 2025. University Programs received major awards in multiple years, and both Capital Projects and University Scholarships show repeated grants across consecutive years.
The recent record shows grants to the University of Nevada Reno and the University of Nevada Alumni Association, both in Reno, NV. The beneficiary types listed for the foundation include university students, alumni, and higher education institutions or campus communities.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nevada Reno | Reno, NV | $23,043,974 | 2025 | University Programs |
| University of Nevada Reno | Reno, NV | $21,851,684 | 2025 | University Programs |
| University of Nevada Reno | Reno, NV | $12,643,574 | 2025 | Capital Projects |
| University of Nevada Reno | Reno, NV | $7,540,651 | 2025 | University Scholarships |
| University of Nevada Reno | Reno, NV | $7,338,391 | 2025 | Capital Projects |
| University of Nevada Reno | Reno, NV | $7,207,456 | 2025 | University Scholarships |
| University of Nevada Alumni Association | Reno, NV | $287,194 | 2025 | Alumni Support |
| University of Nevada Alumni Association | Reno, NV | $276,920 | 2025 | Alumni Support |
| University of Nevada Reno | Reno, NV | $21,851,684 | 2024 | University Programs |
| University of Nevada Reno | Reno, NV | $7,338,391 | 2024 | Capital Projects |
| University of Nevada Reno | Reno, NV | $7,207,456 | 2024 | University Scholarships |
| University of Nevada Reno | Reno, NV | $313,665 | 2024 | Alumni Programs |
| University of Nevada Reno | Reno, NV | $16,952,691 | 2023 | University Programs |
| University of Nevada Reno | Reno, NV | $5,709,958 | 2023 | University Scholarships |
| University of Nevada Reno | Reno, NV | $3,161,550 | 2023 | Capital Projects |
| University of Nevada Reno | Reno, NV | $283,502 | 2023 | Alumni Programs |
University of Nevada Reno
$23,043,974University Programs
University of Nevada Reno
$21,851,684University Programs
University of Nevada Reno
$12,643,574Capital Projects
University of Nevada Reno
$7,540,651University Scholarships
University of Nevada Reno
$7,338,391Capital Projects
University of Nevada Reno
$7,207,456University Scholarships
University of Nevada Alumni Association
$287,194Alumni Support
University of Nevada Alumni Association
$276,920Alumni Support
University of Nevada Reno
$21,851,684University Programs
University of Nevada Reno
$7,338,391Capital Projects
University of Nevada Reno
$7,207,456University Scholarships
University of Nevada Reno
$313,665Alumni Programs
University of Nevada Reno
$16,952,691University Programs
University of Nevada Reno
$5,709,958University Scholarships
University of Nevada Reno
$3,161,550Capital Projects
University of Nevada Reno
$283,502Alumni Programs