In a bold demonstration of philanthropic leadership and long-standing commitment to Michigan State University, the MSU Research Foundation has designated $75 million over the next eight years to support the university’s comprehensive campaign, Uncommon Will, Far Better World.
“We are deeply grateful to the MSU Research Foundation for its visionary leadership, decades-long partnership and unwavering belief in Michigan State University’s mission,” said MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D. “In a rapidly shifting global landscape, higher education must adapt to meet the needs of society to solve the grand challenges of our time. This investment affirms MSU’s role as one of the most societally impactful universities — fueling research, expanding opportunity and creating a far better world.”
This financial support is aimed at advancing MSU’s research enterprise, technology commercialization and innovation-driven initiatives at a time when federal funding for higher education and research is increasingly uncertain.
“For more than 50 years, the MSU Research Foundation has been fulfilling its mission to support Michigan State University’s pursuit of research, innovation and economic impact,” said David Washburn, chief executive officer of the MSU Research Foundation. “This designation provides an annual margin of excellence, enabling programs and research projects across campus.”
The foundation’s funding will support all three campaign pillars — Talent Activated, Synergies Imagined and Futures Built — with primary emphasis on faculty-led research and innovation. Combined with $45 million in contributions made since the campaign’s planning phase began in 2022, this new designation will bring the foundation’s total support of the Uncommon Will, Far Better World campaign to more than $120 million — and over $400 million in total contributions to MSU since the foundation was established in 1973.
“The foundation has worked alongside MSU to fund world-class research and bring new ideas and technologies out of the laboratories and into the real world through licensing, startup formations and corporate partnerships,” said Randolph Cowen, chair of the MSU Research Foundation Board of Directors. “Through this designation, we’re reinforcing our role in helping the university achieve its vision and expand its global impact.”
The foundation’s ability to make sustained investments of this magnitude is rooted in a flexible and sustainable endowment, built over decades through licensing revenues and prudent investment strategies. Its support helps MSU:
- establish a strong national and international reputation for research excellence;
- foster interdisciplinary collaboration that enables ambitious, high-impact projects;
- support innovative, high-risk research with the potential for breakthrough discoveries;
- increase competitiveness for external grants and federal research dollars;
- accelerate ideas with commercial or broad societal impact.
Michigan State University formally launched the Uncommon Will, Far Better World campaign on March 9, 2025. With a $4 billion goal, it is the largest campaign in the university’s history and aims to accelerate discoveries, expand access to education, and create the infrastructure needed to empower Spartans to lead in every field.
Explore ways to support Michigan State University and learn more about the Uncommon Will, Far Better World campaign or contact University Advancement at 517-884-1000.