Mark your calendars: The Blue and Gold Benefit and Auction will take place May 11, 2023, to support the growth of the APU Foundation.
So, what is the APU Foundation?
In short, the APU Foundation (APUF), founded in 1994, operates exclusively for charitable and educational purposes for the university’s benefit. APUF supports education programs that improve the quality and diversity of programs available to students. APUF is the growing collective investment of endowment funds, donor advised funds, that provide scholarships and aid to students, and capital for university facilities and departments.
What are endowment funds?
Endowment funds are foundational to APU. They allow us to recruit incredible students and faculty, generate groundbreaking research, and establish bedrock support for the university’s operations and programming.
A permanent fund is a dedicated investment in the growth and support of specific faculty, students, programming, or university facilities with an untouched principal. Alternatively, an endowment provides a perpetual stream of steady and self-sustaining revenue. This distinction is critically important and hugely beneficial because it relieves the University from raising the necessary funds to support it every year. Because we can depend on endowment funds in perpetuity, they enable us to weather the ebb and flow of private contributions, tuition revenue, and federal grants.
While endowed scholarships have been a longstanding priority for the Foundation, other needs have surfaced as both APU and the Foundation have grown. Your support during the Blue & Gold Benefit and Auction for the APU Foundation helps to build key endowed funds that will support the future of APU and our students such as:
- Leah J. Peterson Legacy Fund: Helps provide a high-quality student experience and attract high-performing students through merit-based scholarships.
- Gould Opportunity Fund: Helps APU honor Peter Gordon Gould’s intent that all students have access to a first-rate education, regardless of income.
- Shel ch’naq’ahnilu Indigenous Student Success Fund (“Sharing our experience to help the next generation succeed”): Support cultural activities on campus and Indigenous student scholarships for the future.
- Rasmuson Endowment: Supports the APU Annual Fund, which serves as a critical source of funding for the university’s highest priorities.
Put simply, the APU Foundation helps us ensure that all students can thrive at APU, and that APU will continue to make a profound impact in the lives of the people and communities we serve for generations to come, none of which would be possible without the endowments and donors who support the APU Foundation.
The Blue & Gold Benefit and Auction is a direct and effective way to show your support for APUF and the future students at the university who will become the future leaders of Alaska.
How to participate in the Blue & Gold Benefit and Auction:
- Purchase a seat, table, or sponsorship for the Blue & Gold Benefit and Auction on May 11, 2023. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The event features live music, a keynote address from Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium President/CEO Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson, an exclusive live auction, a dessert dash, our 100 for $100 Alaska Airlines tickets raffle, and more! It is an event that you will not want to miss!
- Bid in the online auction: Auction is live from April 27, 2023, to May 14, 2023.
- Purchase a ticket in the 100 for $100 raffle for 2 round-trips Alaska Airlines tickets for wherever Alaska Airlines flies! The winner is announced at the Blue & Gold Benefit and Auction.
