Access Illinois Matching Program
During the Access Illinois scholarship initiative, UIS is offering a very special 1:1 matching opportunity for scholarship gifts, doubling the impact of your gift.
All scholarship gifts that qualify for the match entitle the donor to name the fund, attend the scholarship luncheon, and receive a personal thank you from the student recipient.
Required Criteria
To qualify for the match, the gift must be at least $25,000 for an endowed scholarship and at least $2,500 for a current-use scholarship.
The scholarship must be designated for
- an undergraduate student
- who is in good academic standing and
- who has a financial need.
We would like the criteria to be as general as possible. Because of this, the scholarship must be unrestricted for students
throughout the campus (completely unrestricted), or unrestricted- in a college, or
- in a department.
Other requirements may apply depending on the designation of your gift. If a donor designates athletics, for example, the gift will go into the general athletic scholarship fund, not to a student in a specific sport.
Detail of the Match
UIS' Chancellor Susan J. Koch will be using one-time discretionary funds from each fiscal year of the match period to provide a 1:1 match for scholarship gifts that meet the requirements above.
A current-use scholarship gift of at least $2500 that meets the requirements above will generate a match of equal value. If the scholarship is renewed, the gift will be matched each year through the end of the initiative.
For an endowed gift of at least $25,000 that meets the requirements above, the income from this gift will be matched for ten years following the gift as long as the fund is created during the three-year initiative. Donors will have five years to complete a pledge of $25,000 or more even if the fund is created during the last year of the initiative.
The matching funds will go to the same area designated by the donor (such as the same college or department).
These matching funds will increase the impact of the donor’s gift for one, two, or possibly even three students.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the money for the match coming from?
UIS will use one-time discretionary funds from each filcal year of the match period to provide a 1:1 match for scholarship gifts that qualify.
If I ADD TO AN EXISTING ACCESS ILLINOIS SCHOLARSHIP (see the list here), will my gift be matched as well?
If you are the donor who created the matched fund, you may add a gift in any amount, and UIS will match your gift as specified. If you are not the donor who created the fund, your gift adding to the fund must be at least $2500 in order to qualify for the match.
Will my CORPORATE MATCH count toward the minimum required amount ($2500 for current-use or $25,000 for endowed)?
Yes. Your gift and your company's match together will need to add up to the minimum requirements above.
I have already have an endowed scholarship gift account. May I REWRITE THE CRITERIA so that it now qualifies for the match?
Yes, but you will need to add at least $2500 or more to the fund and rewrite the criteria to meet the requirements above. The income from your scholarship would then be matched for ten years.
I would prefer to SPREAD OUT MY GIFT over several years. How long would I have to complete a pledge?
You may take up to five years to complete a current-use scholarship pledge, but each year's pledge must be for at least $2500. Each year of your pledge, your gift of $2500 or more will be matched.
You may also take up to fine years to complete an endowed scholarship pledge (for a total of at least $25,000). Once the endowed scholarship fund reaches at least $25,000, income from the endowment will be matched for the next ten years.
MAY A GROUP GO TOGETHER to create a scholarship for the match?
Yes, if the scholarship meets the criteria above. Donors must indicate that they are part of the group and the name of the scholarship fund. Each donor will then receive a gift receipt and donor gift credit. The group will be invited to choose two people to attend the scholarship luncheon.