The Grainger College of Engineering

Giving

 

 

 

Your gift can
change the world

 

 

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 outstanding engineering and computing education to brilliant students who learn from expert researchers and practitioners in state-of-the-art facilities. Grainger engineers improve the human condition and create a better world for everyone.

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.

The Impact of Giving

Drive world-changing innovations

Your support is critical to our innovative research initiatives that 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. 

See Gifts in Action

Expand Access to Engineering Education and Research

You will help us develop our student pipeline, sustain our engagement through programming and community building, and elevate our societal impact. You can help us support scholarship, innovation and leadership through opportunity, collaboration and community at all levels: faculty, staff, students, and K-12 outreach and public engagement. 

Learn about the IDEA Institute

Your gifts make a difference

Your contributions ensure we remain a leader in engineering education, discovery, innovation, entrepreneurship and sustained excellence. Choose how you want to support The Grainger College of Engineering.

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Grainger Engineering Stories

Big challenges. Bold solutions. See how Grainger engineers are shaping tomorrow's world.

Paying it forward: Jack Blevins' enduring commitment to ECE

More than 50 years after graduating, ECE alumnus Jack Blevins continues to give back through mentorship, philanthropy, and alumni engagement.

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A Team Player: Puzzle-enthusiast Wei-Hwa Huang donates $2.5 million to LabEscape

Puzzle-enthusiast Wei-Hwa Huang’s $2.5 million donation to LabEscape will allow the Department of Physics’ escape room to establish a new space in Chicago and significantly expand its impact and outreach mission.

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A vision realized: Eltoukhy Family Innovation Lab officially opens

The Eltoukhy Family Innovation Lab officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 17, giving University of Illinois Materials Science and Engineering students access to a state-of-the-art maker space — made possible by a transformative gift from alumnus Atef Eltoukhy ('76, PhD, Metallurgical Engineering) and his wife Fofa.

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Grads' giving leads to name change for entrepreneur center

The News-Gazette

The Technology Entrepreneur Center, which is part of the Grainger College of Engineering, will be renamed the Landuyt Center for Entrepreneurship — pending approval from trustees — in recognition of these contributions, UI officials said. The board’s next meeting is set for May 21. The funds will enable the expansion of entrepreneurship education and programming at the Urbana-Champaign campus and the creation of a second location of the Landuyt Center for Entrepreneurship in Chicago at the Discovery Partners Institute.

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A landmark $20 million commitment expands opportunities for generations of Illinois innovators

The transformational generosity of two alumni of The Grainger College of Engineering will expand entrepreneurship education opportunities for all students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, accelerating startup creation, fostering the commercialization of innovations and strengthening the university’s presence in Chicago.

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ECE Receives Gift For First Named Lecture Series in Emerging Technologies

A generous gift from DeAnna Ballard (BSEE '89) and her husband Gregg Steinhauser has established the first named lecture series within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in The Grainger College of Engineering. The Ballard Seminars in Emerging Technology will focus on 11 technical research areas that reflect the department's tremendous breadth and depth.

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2022 Day of Gratitude signs: "One hundred years after William W. Grainger graduated from our college, his impact is still felt."

The origin of the name
The Grainger College of Engineering 

The Grainger College of Engineering was named in 2019 in recognition of more than $300 million in total support from The Grainger Foundation and in honor of distinguished alumnus William W. Grainger. At the time of the naming, The Grainger Foundation contributions represented the largest amount ever given to a public university to name a college of engineering.

The long-term, flexible support of The Grainger Foundation allows Grainger Engineering to grow our research enterprise and enhance educational programs. We can attract and retain the very best faculty with more and larger faculty chairs and professorships, and increase access as we recruit the brightest and best students.

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