Support Your Favorite Cause

Your gift means a lot to our school. We want it to be meaningful to you too, by allowing you to support the causes that matter most to you. Below we describe the Foster Five: Five ways your gift can advance business education at the Foster School, from supporting competitions to donating to scholarships. Below those descriptions are other ways to give. If you have any questions about supporting your favorite cause, contact one of our Major Gift Officers.

Foster One: The Foster Difference Fund
The first-rate business curriculum and educational experience found at the Michael G. Foster School of Business is a direct result of your annual financial support. Your gift to the Foster Difference Fund allows Dean Jim Jiambalvo and decision-makers throughout the school to address emerging needs and to take advantage of new, unforeseen opportunities as they arise. The Foster Difference Fund builds Foster’s competitive edge by providing the resources necessary to draw and retain top faculty, enhance Foster’s academic curriculum, attract top students, and fund vibrant extra-curricular programs in a way that state funding alone can’t do. And giving to the Foster Difference Fund can mean membership in the Dean’s Club or President’s Club:

Dean’s Club welcomes donors who give at least $1,000 annually to the Michael G. Foster School of Business

President’s Club recognizes individuals who contribute $2,000 or more annually to any UW school, college, program, department or campus

Give Today to the Foster Difference Fund. 

Foster Two: Academic Departments
Your donations to our academic departments help us recruit talented faculty and offer innovative programs for students. From finance to marketing, your gift ensures continuing curriculum development and faculty research. See a list of the academic departments that can benefit from your gift.

Foster Three: Learning through Practice (Competitions)
Competitions prepare our students for the real-world by challenging them with real-world situations. Your gifts help Foster students move beyond book learning to actual experience, whether you’re donating to support the Business Plan Competition at the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, global competitions, or the Environmental Innovation Challenge. See a list of competitions you can support.

Foster Four: Buildings for the Future
Giving toward Foster facilities helps us meet our projected growth in faculty and students, increase revenues from self-sustaining programs that can be reinvested in Foster education, and support all of our programs in delivering the innovative curriculum and team-based approach to learning that we embrace. Building and maintaining first-rate facilities are also critical for recruiting and retaining leading faculty, recruiting top students, and building stronger ties to the business community. See a list of facility funds you can support. 

Foster Five: Scholarships for Access and Excellence
Creating scholarships helps us recruit the best and brightest students and eliminates the barriers posed to some by the rising costs of education. You can give to undergraduate, MBA or even PhD scholarships, or even make it possible for our students to broaden their education with an international experience. Help ensure our future business leaders gain the education and experiences that will enable them to keep the communities we serve prosperous. See a list of scholarships to which you can give. 

Other Ways to Give
In addition to the Foster Five described above, you can also give to Foster in one of the following ways:

Establish an Endowment: This designates a permanent fund that generates income toward an area you want to support

Make a Gift of Securities: Transferring stock to the University of Washington is a simple transaction with big benefits for Foster

Create a Gift Plan: Incorporate your philanthropy with your estate planning

Corporate Sponsorship: Benefit your business and help develop future business leaders when your company gives to Foster

For questions about any of these other ways to give, contact a Major Gift officer.