Giving
With Illinois
We lead the way together
When you give to The Grainger College of Engineering, you become a part of our bold vision for the future. Your investment allows us to deliver an elite engineering education to students who learn from expert researchers and practitioners in state-of-the-art facilities.
You can help us plan for the future while making a difference today. Gifts to our Grainger Engineering Priority Fund will provide vital, unrestricted support that allows the college to strategically invest in critical initiatives.
Together, we will...
Transform the student experience
Your generosity provides our students with the tools they need to succeed outside of the classroom and prepares them to take on the world's challenges. Contributions from our alumni and friends are essential to our ability to support our students, faculty, and staff.
A few of the many ways your gift could be used to support Grainger Engineers includes educator/advisor and research funding, scholarships and fellowships, and support of our learning spaces such as labs and centers.
Drive world-changing research
Your support is critical to our research initiatives which touch all aspects of human life, encompassing medical, atmospheric, cellular, acoustic, renewable energy, and robotic endeavors—among many more. This enriching academic experience fosters maximum growth for students and lays the foundation for strides in societal improvements.
Address Social Justice in Engineering Education & Research
You will help us develop our pipeline for student diversity, sustain our engagement through programming and community building, and elevate our societal impact. You can help us make a difference in scholarship, innovation, collaboration, and leadership in the areas of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access at all levels: faculty, staff, students, and K-12 outreach/public engagement.
Join the campaign!
Every gift makes a difference at The Grainger College of Engineering. Your support ensures that we remain a leader in engineering education, discovery, innovation, and sustained excellence. To make a gift, choose which path you'd like to take.
Illinois Legacy Challenge
In honor of the With Illinois campaign, a generous alumnus has donated $1,000,000 in matching funds to create the Illinois Legacy Challenge. By documenting a new planned gift with the University of Illinois Foundation (“UIF”) benefiting Grainger Engineering or any Illinois purpose, or by increasing your existing planned gift on record with UIF benefiting Grainger Engineering or any Illinois purpose, you will have the ability to tap into the matching pool to direct 10% (up to $10,000) of your new or additional planned gift’s value to immediately benefit the Grainger Engineering Priority Fund or any departmental Priority Fund.
The Challenge begins on October 15, 2021, and will continue until the matching pool has been extinguished or June 30, 2022, whichever comes first. Planned gifts of life insurance are not eligible to participate in the Challenge. Beneficiary designation and bequest donors must be at least age 65 by June 30, 2022, to have their gifts qualify for Challenge matching funds. Challenge matching dollars are charitable gifts and do not give the qualifying planned gift donor any ticket benefits.
To learn more about how you can participate in the Illinois Legacy Challenge, contact Grainger Engineering's Office of Advancement at 217-244-2364. You can also visit the Illinois Legacy Challenge website for more information.
Meet Our Campaign Cabinet
Meet the six Grainger Engineering alumni charged with activating our network and encouraging our community to be With Illinois.
Engineering Visionary Scholarships
You can turn dreams into realities and passions into possibilities! Engineering Visionary Scholarships (EVS) gives highly qualified students access to a world-class engineering education. Every year, hundreds of students become Grainger Engineers because of donor support to EVS.
EVS Facts:
- Gifts to EVS of all sizes are pooled and endowed, maximizing our ability to flexibly distribute ample scholarship awards year after year.
- More than half of EVS gifts are $100 or less – proving every gift can transform the student experience.
- The EVS fund will continue to grow into perpetuity, enabling Grainger Engineering to remain competitive and allowing the college to flexibly respond to students' needs.
Your generosity directly supports our students and impacts our ability to recruit and retain the most promising engineers, scientists, physicians, business leaders, and problem-solvers.
Why are we The Grainger College of Engineering?
“The Grainger Foundation’s legacy can be seen across our campus. They have invested in our outstanding students, brilliant faculty, groundbreaking research, and capital projects to support our unmatched innovation. Their generosity is transforming engineering education, creating opportunities for generations of students and future leaders, and advancing our researchers’ abilities to impact the world. The Grainger Foundation’s over $300 million in support, is an investment in our bold vision for the future and we are grateful that they have entrusted us with this gift.”
Rashid Bashir, Dean
Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering
Professor of Bioengineering