THE JEFFERSON TRUST funds new programs and projects that enhance the University of Virginia and enrich the student experience. Founded in 2006 by the UVA Alumni Association, the Trust is a donor-led organization, providing UVA alumni, parents, and friends an opportunity to engage in and shape the institution’s future.
Every school, as well as many University organizations, centers and institutes have received funding. Any student, faculty, or staff member may apply, with grants typically ranging between $1,000 and $300,000. Since inception, the Trust has made 346 grants totaling $14,455,913.
VISION: To see every great idea at the University of Virginia come to fruition.
MISSION: To advance the University of Virginia and the student experience by connecting inspiring ideas with a dedicated and engaged group of donors.
LEADERSHIP LETTERS
FROM THE CHAIR
The Jefferson Trust is thriving. We are proud of our grantmaking record and the positive effects that Trust-funded initiatives are having on Grounds, in Charlottesville, across the country, and around the world.
In 2023, we piloted new activities to strengthen engagement with students and the university. Our new Student Ambassador Program launched with Carson Breus ’25 and Alex Pentimonti ’25. These leaders enhanced the Trustee experience by participating in our meetings, offering insights about issues affecting students, and expanding our reach to more students with diverse interests and backgrounds. The program will now expand to five students and develop clear processes and practices.
We also awarded our 346th grant, while growing our endowment to $40 million. Reflecting on the surge in proposals and funding requests, we refined our processes for greater ease, accessibility, and accountability. For grantees, we simplified the forms and provided more networking opportunities. For Trustees, we created new guidance for evaluating proposals and assigned Trustees to offer background on proposals during our deliberations. We committed our meetings in September to learning about UVA priorities in advance of proposal evaluations, January to hearing pitches and awarding grants, and April to engaging with grantees and enriching our understanding of their work.
The Jefferson Trust will soon mark 20 years. In April 2025, we will celebrate hundreds of grant recipients and their achievements. As Trustees, we often invest in ideas because we are inspired by their creativity and possibility, without a guarantee of success. Our data now show we have an overwhelming rate of success. By pooling our financial gifts through the Jefferson Trust, we increase our collective impact and see invention flourish and grow.
Looking ahead, we will continue funding great ideas and fostering innovations as we champion the student experience and the university’s role locally, nationally, and globally.
M. Alexandra Arriaga Chair
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
In each of the past two annual reports, I had the good fortune of recognizing two milestones in the organization’s grantmaking history; the largest-ever grant and the most grants of $100,000 or more. While I cannot boast of eclipsing those marks, I am even more proud of how the Trustees allocated funding this year. Whereas fourteen Annual Cycle grants were made in 2022 and 2023, seventeen were made this year, and it was clear in the Board’s discussion that their full focus was on maximizing how every dollar was allocated. This focus was imperative as grantseeker demand in both the Annual Cycle and Flash Funding Cycle has never been higher.
Grant requests have steadily increased over time but made a dramatic jump recently. In 2020, the Trust received twenty-five Annual Cycle requests totaling just over $1.5 million. This year, we received 123 requests seeking nearly $15 million. Flash Funding demand was also high, with the number of proposals nearly doubling last year’s at 103 requests and seeking funding almost equal to the past two years combined ($770,579). The drive among students, faculty, and staff to advance UVA and its impact is great. We are striving to meet the demand.
Increasing grant requests puts more pressure on fundraising efforts and the need for high endowment returns. This past fiscal year ranked second highest in the Trust's fundraising history at over $2.8 million. While we are pleased with the achievement, we know there is greater potential.
The Trust’s path forward in fundraising will be through named grant endowments (see pages 16-17). These are individual, endowed funds often established by a single donor to support a broadly defined area of our grantmaking. Similar to a named scholarship endowment, these grant endowments bolster the Trust’s total grant funding and help donors impact an area that is meaningful to them. The two commitments that were made this fiscal year accounted for nearly one-third of the total raised and indicate the leaps we can make in growing the endowment and our ability to support the University community.
Brent Percival Executive Director
ANNUAL CYCLE GRANTS
The Annual Cycle is our largest grant cycle by funding amount, and requests vary from small, short-term projects to jumpstarting University initiatives. In 2024, $1.4 million was granted to 17 new projects and programs. From community impact measures to unique student projects to translational research, these grants illustrate the vibrancy that exists across the University.
Daniel S. Adler Student Award
UVA Cyber Range: $71,548
Designed to enhance cybersecurity education, support research, and promote cybersecurity endeavors outside the classroom, a team of students will provide an environment for students to conduct a wide range of cyber experiments.
A Partnership to Promote Innovation and Excellence in Lower Division Mathematics Courses: $170,000
A collaboration between lower division mathematics faculty and the Motivate Lab, this project aims to increase students’ success in calculus classes through growth-based assessments and a summer bridge program.
ChangeMaker Bootcamp: $20,000
Through skill development, networking, mentorship, and resource access, social entrepreneurial minded students will gain experience planning, developing, and building a new social venture in this week-long program.
Nursing Narratives: $24,000
Funding helps to add a recurring editorial section to both the print and digital versions of “Virginia Nursing Legacy,” UVA School of Nursing’s quarterly magazine. Content will focus on capturing the voices, experiences, and opinions of UVA nurses (including students, faculty, and alumni), giving them a platform to share, and giving readers a closer look at the issues and topics that impact nurses.
Ashley Thompson Manning Health Innovation Award
SPRINT Program: Bridging the Gap to Enhanced Rehabilitation and Community Engagement: $120,000
The Sports Performance Rehabilitation Integrating Neuromuscular Training (SPRINT) program aims to reduce reinjury rates and increase the number of patients successfully returning to sports post-surgery, from knee injuries. SPRINT will serve as a learning platform for students aspiring in sports medicine, physical therapy, or sports performance domains.
SPRINT Program
D-Mine: $24,972
With the purchase of a thermal camera, a drone with increased thermal sensitivity, and other related equipment, the D-Mine project aims to develop new de-mining software that can save lives, resources, and time for anti-explosive teams, ultimately demining territories more quickly and safely.
VCAC
Student Symposium: $30,000
Funding helps to bring current UVA students who were served by Virginia College Advising Corps (VCAC) advisers together for a symposium, which will include networking opportunities and related programming over shared experiences.
Design Discovery Youth Summer Program:
$86,300
Hosted by the UVA School of Architecture, Design Discovery is a six-day summer program bringing high school students to explore design school and related professions, through academic and real-world settings.
UVAi Vanguard:
$112,870
This project is a groundbreaking initiative to integrate Generative Artificial intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) into academic settings including research, mentorship, and teaching.
The Influence of Early-life Sensory Exposure on Neural Circuitry Following Preterm Birth: $200,000
A multi-disciplinary, cross-Grounds team of researchers and clinicians is examining how variable early life sensory exposure following preterm birth shapes developing neural circuitry to ultimately impact developmental outcomes.
Wayne D. Cozart Global Award
The World at Your Doorstep, Democracy’s Future in Your Hands: $100,000
New courses will be created to allow students to establish research partnerships with faculty and international advocates and participate in international conferences focused on the future of democracy and democratic rights. The program will bring leaders in the field to Grounds and provide students handson global experience
Gardening Grounds: Envisioning Alternate Paradigms and Practices of Landscape Care at UVA: $30,000
A collaborative research project across Grounds, involving Landscape Architecture and Architecture graduate students, explores how the design and care of planted landscapes across Grounds can be adapted to sustain greater biodiversity, spark awareness and foster stewardship of the mutual relationship between landscape health and human well-being.
Jefferson Society Bicentennial Storytelling Project: $33,850
Interviews from alumni will be recorded and compiled into a multimedia exhibit, along with the society’s physical archives, to celebrate the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society’s bicentennial in 2025.
Early-life Sensory Exposure
Bicentennial Storytelling Project
Gardening Grounds
Preparing Students for Careers in Trustworthy
Artificial Intelligence (CTAP): $90,000
Through research, outreach, collaboration, and pilot courses, the Careers in Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence Program (CTAP) aims to provide UVA students with the skills and knowledge required to succeed in the growing Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) workforce.
John B. Syer Award
UVA Facilities Management Community
Connections Program: $102,000
In partnership with the Charlottesville communities and surrounding counties, Facilities Management is expanding a workforce development pipeline program for middle- and highschoolers to work towards pre-apprenticeship certification in skilled trades.
UVA
Student Engagement with Local Black
Histories: River View Farm: $98,800
Support enhances undergraduate course AAS 4501 and creates a summer internship program with the Department of African American and African Studies and the Ivy Creek Foundation. Students will be trained in public history methods, and archival and genealogical research at River View Farms, exposing them to archive-based research, oral history, and 3D modeling.
Center for Forest Urbanism: $86,000
A new pan-university research and policy center focused on the conservation of urban trees and forests, the center will engage a range of disciplines, expertise, and partners across Grounds, and nationally, to gather insights from innovative city best practices, law, policy, economics, and science.
River View Farm
FLASH FUNDING
Funding ideas in a flash is the goal of this Spring semester grant cycle. Grants of up to $10,000 are awarded on a month-month basis for short-term projects that are primarily student-led or focused. In 2024, $119,880 was awarded to fourteen new projects. Offering new student experiences and new learning and research opportunities were key themes of the spring.
CALM Wellness Retreat: $1,400
The CALM Wellness Retreat for School of Medicine students provides the medical student community a dedicated space to find relief from the stressors of medicine and build sustainable mindfulness practices that they can carry with them throughout their medical school journey and future medical career.
JunkLabz - Printers4Kidz: $10,000
Funding helps to purchase a new plastic sheet press, enabling Junk Labz to improve the diversion and processing of plastic waste more efficiently, turning higher volumes of recycled plastic into durable, long-lasting products.
Teaching and Learning Enhancement Hub:
$9,590
An initiative in the Department of Psychology with results that will be applied broadly, the Hub is evaluating several effective learning strategies to improve learning experiences for students.
Sara Curruchich. Being an Indigenous Woman in Today's Guatemala: $10,000
The internationally recognized Mayan Kaqchikel singer and songwriter visited Grounds as a Ruffin Distinguished Artist-inResidence. Classes, workshops, and a free public concert were held, and materials from the visit will be archived in the UVA Library for future students to learn about Curruchich, Kaqchikel art, and activism.
Entrepreneurship for All: $10,000
In partnership with local high schools, this program is designed to educate and empower youth from historically marginalized communities to create their own ventures and social enterprises.
Morven Soundscape: $10,000
Students will create an expansive soundscape of the land at Morven Farms, enhancing listeners’ understanding of the place, and assisting researchers in a better understanding of its history, archaeology and environment.
Sara Curruchich
Smiles & Spatulas: $3,400
A cooking program that will empower adults with Down Syndrome by teaching kitchen safety, cooking basics, and general nutrition. This pilot program offers volunteer opportunities for students while giving back to the Charlottesville community.
McIntire School of Commerce Escape Room
Tournament: $8,000
A student-created game, the Escape Room Competition simulates an Artificial Intelligence (AI) business firm, where students will use critical thinking skills and hands-on learning to solve challenges in entrepreneurship, innovation, and modern workforce.
The Stan Winston and Steve Warner Festival of the Moving Creature: $10,000
The class, and culminating festival, showcased the multidisciplinary lessons and passions of Arts Grounds in a public performance of larger-than-life moving creatures designed and powered by students in the Art of the Moving Creatures Spring 2024 seminar.
Public Facing Writing: Editor Workshop
Series: $10,000
Students in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences are organizing the Public Facing Writing workshop series, aimed to support public humanities work and grow the networks between humanities scholars and public facing publications at UVA.
Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Research and Teaching:
$8,040
A team of professors is launching a series of workshops, open to the University and local communities, designed to illustrate the benefits and weaknesses of AI.
From the Ground Up:
$9,700
Through hands-on learning labs and field research, UVA students will develop an educational module centered on soil biological health of Native tallgrass prairies to help build agricultural and environmental education among local Indigenous youth in Sisseton, South Dakota.
AFROTC VR Simulator: $10,000
Funding will expand virtual reality simulator training on the T-6 Texan II aircraft to Air Force ROTC students at UVA, and a partnership with the UVA Aeronautical Engineering club.
SWVA Can Code Regional Student Showcase:
$9,750
In partnership with UVA Wise, local schools, and community organizations, middle- and high- school students will learn coding, web app development, problem-solving, prototyping, and entrepreneurial and communication skills at summer camps, then showcase their work on Wise’s campus.
Smiles & Spatulas
AFROTC VR Simulator
TRUSTEES
The Trust is managed by a Board of Trustees who make all grant decisions and are responsible for the organization's governance. The Trustees are UVA alumni, parents, and friends who want to have a hands-on experience in giving across Grounds. They join from around the globe and span six decades of alumni. Their unique backgrounds and skillsets combine to form a board that is collegial, collaborative, and fun.
Engagement
Trustees engage with students, faculty, staff, and fellow Trustees to learn more about, and shape the University’s future. Trustees are part of the life of UVA, working together to make it an even better place.
Impact
A Trustee who joined this year is projected to be part of granting over $9 million across the Grounds. Each Trustee’s expertise is called on to help determine the best proposals to fund, and which will have the greatest impact.
Giving Commitment
Trustees give or pledge at least $150,000 as part of their board commitment.
Time Commitment
Trustees serve a five-year term; consisting of three board meetings per year, joining one or more committees, and serving as a grant liaison.
M. Alexandra Arriaga, Chair, Col ‘87 Arlington, Virginia
Jennifer R. Nisi, Vice-Chair, Engr ’98 Poughkeepsie, New York
Daniel S. Adler, Engr ‘88 Fairfax, Virginia
John A. Ayers, Col ‘ 97 Haymarket, Virginia
Daniel H. Benckart, Col ‘73 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Sarah F. Bridenhagen, Col ‘09 Palmyra, Virginia
Sarah R. Bridenhagen, Educ ‘80 Keswick, Virginia
George H. Brown, Col ‘19, Darden '24 Charlottesville, Virginia
Erin F. Burgoyne, Parent ‘16
James F. Burgoyne, Parent ‘16 Kiawah Island, South Carolina
Cameron B. Burn, Col ‘98 J. Duncan Burn, Darden ‘07 Denver, Colorado
Faith Lyons Burns, Com ‘16
John A. Burns, Col ‘14, ‘15 Washington, D.C.
Robert G. Byron, Col ‘73, Law ‘76 Glencoe, Illinois
Victoria Davis Chen, MD, Col ‘92
Stephen M. Chen, MD Richmond, Virginia
Michael S. Christopher, Com ‘00 Houston, Texas
Jonathan C. Clark, Col ‘81
Theresa Tierney Clark, Parent ‘22 Paradise Valley, Arizona
Alan C. Cline, Engr ‘94 Austin, Texas
Stefan H. Cushman, Col ‘92 Saint Petersburg, Florida
Anthony J. DiClemente, Com ’98 New York, New York
Molly McCarty Dunnington, Com ‘97 Charlottesville, Virginia
Douglas E. Eckert, Col ’87, Law ‘93 Mountain Brook, Alabama
Jocelyn S. Ege, Col ‘04
John A. Ege, Col ‘01 Englewood, Colorado
Lee R. Forker Jr., Darden ‘63 Hingham, Massachusetts
Carson H. Gibson, Com ‘16 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Frank R. Gough, III, Com ‘04 New York, New York
Sarah D. Graham, Engr ‘00
Jonathan C. Graham, Col ‘00 Winnetka, Illinois
Maria T. Gutierrez, Col ‘90 Weston, Florida
Scott L. Gwilliam, Com ‘91 Evanston, Illinois
Melissa J. Hutson, Col ’98, Law ‘01 Darien, Connecticut
David A. Hyman, Col ’88, Law ‘93 Burlingame, California
William A. Lascara, Col ‘80 Virginia Beach, Virginia
Eric F. Leon, Col ‘90 New York, New York
Albert P. Lindemann, III, Col ‘84 Charlotte, North Carolina
Ashley Thompson Manning, Com ‘97 Englewood, Colorado
Steven A. Marks, Com ‘93 Fort Lauderdale, Florida
William A. Marr, Jr., Col ‘67 Charlottesville, Virginia
William C. Martin, Com ‘00
Rocky Hill, New Jersey
Jon E. Mattson, Com ‘90 New York, New York
Adrienne S. McCallister, Com ‘97 Austin, Texas
Scott McLellan, Com ‘98 Glen Head, New York
J. Nicholas Melton, Com ‘94 New York, New York
Paul M. Meurer, Com ‘97
Lysa A. Meurer, Parent ‘19 Coronado, California
Carter S. Moore, Col ‘18 New York, New York
Ashlee A. Morningstar, Col ‘98
John E. Morningstar, Com ‘98 Greenwich, Connecticut
Paul Nolde, Col ‘01 Richmond, Virginia
Lars R. Norell, Law ‘98 Old Greenwich, Connecticut
Caroline H. Ogburn, Col ‘15 Austin, Texas
Sharon M. Owlett, Law ‘75 Williamsburg, Virginia
Sara Perry, Com ‘98 Nashville, Tennessee
William N. Pike, Engr ‘16 Dallas, Texas
Timothy J. Ranzetta, Com ‘89 Palo Alto, California
Jill F. Reid, Col ‘11 New York, New York
Neal R. Rudge, Col ‘86 Bangkok, Thailand
William C. Sanders, Jr., Parent ‘18 McLean, Virginia
Sarah C. Semegen, Col ‘06 San Francisco, California
Susan E. Singh, Nurs ‘05
Ramesh Singh, MD, Med ‘07 Herndon, Virginia
B. Hanson Slaughter, Com ‘94 Birmingham, Alabama
Rebecca B. Sperling, Col ‘93
John W. Sperling, MD, Col ’90, Med ‘94 Rochester, Minnesota
Holly M. Stancil, Col ‘96
Mark T. Stancil, Col ’96, Grad ’99, Law ‘99 Charlottesville, Virginia
Brian E. Stengel, Col ‘89
Faith S. Stengel, Parent ‘23, '27 Greenwich, Connecticut
Honour A. Thornton, Nurs ‘10
John D. Thornton, Com ‘09
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Marie G. Tybur, Col ‘97
James S. Tybur, Engr ‘97 Westport, Connecticut
David B. Wells, Com ‘93 Los Gatos, California
Lily E. West, Darden ‘12 Charlottesville, Virginia
Adrienne Woodard, Parent ‘08
Keith O. Woodard, Parent ‘08 Charlottesville, Virginia
Patricia B. Woodard, Nurs ‘69
Keith Woodard, Col ‘71, Darden ‘75 Charlottesville, Virginia
Sarah J. Zimmerman, Educ ‘90
Todd G. Zimmerman, Law ‘90 Greenwood, Virginia
“Becoming a part of the Jefferson Trust has given me an incredible chance to reconnect with the University and engage with some of the remarkable efforts of students, faculty, and the wider Charlottesville community. As a donor-led funding organization dedicated to innovation, I appreciate our charter to channel support towards both strategic initiatives and passion projects alike.”
-Jenn Nisi, Trustee and Vice Chair
Additional Donors
Andy Anderson
Donna Arehart & Gary Chovan
Jessica Aspen
Jane & John Bradshaw
Kim Buckey
Mike & Mary Chinn
Allison Christopher
Sherrie Collins Shield
Stephen Daugherty, MD
Deborah W. Denno
John D. Diefenbach
Raj R. Doshi
Andrew Dunnington
Charles & Patricia Elcan
Allison & Harry Elkins
Katherine Eslao
Sarah Farrell
James Goode
Laird Gough
Christie Graham Jacobs
Tim Guzi
George Hilliard
Robert Hilliard
Alan & Lisa Kava
Tim & Cheryl Kitt
Wendy Leon
Jason Lunday
Peyton Manning
Deanne Maynard
Blake McCallister
Jeanette & Michale McComis
Andrew & Bridget McGuire
Amy & Paul McPheeters
Holly Michaud
Barbara Mullen
Jim & Bruce Murray
Chuck Owlett
Richard & Mary Payne
Craig Perry
Emily Philpott & Chris Tetzelli
Liz & Alex Pugatch
Copey Rice
Bob & Mona Riordan
Matthew Rizzo
Jim & Bobbie Rutrough
Lindsey Shavers
Dr. Christian Edward Shield
Seth Traxler
Quint & Stephanie Van Deman
Frank Walsh
Davis Zaunbrecher
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Benevity on behalf of Google
Benjamin H. Slaughter
Family Foundation
Community Foundation of Greater Richmond
Encore Capital Group, Inc.
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
J A Rogers & P F Rissler Foundation
J.P. Morgan Charitable Giving Fund
Kirkland & Ellis Foundation
Morgan Stanley Gift Fund
Morgan Stanley Global Impact
Pike Enterprises, LLC
Roger S. Firestone Foundation
Rutrough Family Charitable Fund
Schwab Charitable Fund
Susan C. Firestone Foundation
The Frist Foundation
The Patty and Doug Reid Family Fdn.
Vanguard Charitable Endowment Prog.
GRANT ENDOWMENTS TS
In addition to our unrestricted grant endowment, donors may also fund, name and designate a grant endowment in an area that is meaningful to them. These endowments now account for over ten percent of all grant endowment assets. The following highlights one such endowment, the Daniel S. Adler Student Award.
Daniel S. Adler Student Award
Dan Adler (Engr ’88) knows how powerful the undergrad student experience at UVA can be, as a former Lawn resident, resident advisor, First Year Seminar Leader, and Chair of the Judiciary Committee. Dan has been involved with the Trust since 2012, serving as Chair of the Proposals Committee, on the Executive Committee, and in other focus groups. The Daniel S. Adler Student Award was created in 2016 and is an investment in great student ideas and the student experience.
2017 - College Unions Poetry Slam
Invitational: $7,375
“Competing at CUPSI has facilitated growth of the spoken word scene at UVA; it is much better known and recognized as an integral part of the arts community at the University. The lessons learned from CUPSI have become integral facets of the poetry and organizing education of the members of Flux, even those who have not gone to compete themselves.”
-Student Project Leader
2018 - The Human Library: $36,625
“The Human Library events gave students an opportunity to engage with new ideas, prompted them to share important aspects of their lives in creative ways, and encouraged individuals to engage with deeply personal issues for their peers.”
-Student Project Leader
2019 - Rotunda Planetarium: $30,000
“The digital installation unites twenty-first-century projection technology with eighteenth-century illustration, reinscribes the space in ways that bring the past into conversation with the present, prompting reflection on the university’s founding ideals and its hopes for the future…our series of events brought together members of the university community and the public to enjoy and learn from the installation, exhibit, and to share time in UVA’s most recognizable building with family and friends.”
-Graduate Student Project Leader
2020 - Flip @ UVA: $14,161
A student-led organization focused on creating community, sharing resources, and partnering with other organizations across Grounds to increase opportunities and create a platform for first-generation, limited-income students. FLIP is now a part of the Hoos First Initiative, and Hoos First Student Center at the University.
2021 - Distinguished Major Project Musical through Virginia Players: $2,500
“We sold out both performances, with more than half of attendees being students…This show made an impact, and it couldn't have been done without the support of the Jefferson Trust.”
-Student Project Leader
2022 - Search for Hidden Chambers in the Temple of Kukulcán at Chichén Itza: $35,834
After electronics supply-chain issues and other delays, the team is back on track with a complete redesign of the readout electronics to aid in their goals of fabricating detectors to help search for hidden cambers in the Temple of Kukulcán at Chicén Itzá.
2023 - Printers 4 Kids: $30,000
"Our collection, shredding, and sorting has become so fine-tuned that we are working with UVA Sustainability and Green Labs to increase our collection from 1 lab to 5! We are hoping to then grow the number of plastics we can accept.”
-Graduate Student Project Leader
2024 - UVA Cyber Range: $71,548.79
The team is making strong progress in purchasing hardware and designing the cluster and cluster requirements to create a cyber range, enhancing cybersecurity education and supporting research and cybersecurity experimentation.
Additional grant endowments include:
• Wayne D. Cozart Global Award
• Jack B. Syer Award
• Ashley Thompson Manning Health Innovation Award
Additional commitments to create an endowment include:
• Jane and John Bradshaw Fund
• Owlett Fund Innovation Award
FINANCE
The Trust holds multiple grants and operations endowments. Divestments are made between 4-6% annually from each endowment’s average account balance over the previous twelve quarters. This ‘smoothed model’ of endowment management provides stable and sustainable funding. Investments are managed by the University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO) and the UVA Fund provides accounting and gift processing services.
UVIMCO returns have been mostly flat for the past two years after a meteoric rise in 2021. However, UVIMCO leadership still cites a 7-8% annualized return over the 7–10-year range for their long-term investment pool. This modest growth has been bolstered by consistent donor support, primarily to the grants endowments.
ENDOWMENTS
$50,000,000
$40,000,000
$30,000,000
$20,000,000
$10,000,000
$0
Generous donors have propelled grant endowment yields that far out-pace the cost to administer the Trust. While operational investment is important to enhance the quality of our grantmaking and fundraising, we strive to minimize operational cost while maximizing grant funding.
EXPENDITURES
IMPACT
This year’s grants add to an impressive history of impact that reverberates across Grounds and around the globe. Often serving as seed funding, many of these grants have scaled into on-going programs, robust research enterprises, and pan-University initiatives.
GRANTS BY TYPE 2006-24
28% Student Life Experiences
16% Science & Technology
16% Arts
11% Community Relations
10% Pan University
8% DEI
4% Global
3% Faculty Excellence
2% Sustainability
1% Brick & Mortar
Photo by Matt Riley
This Spring, we were thrilled to see the School of Data Science Building open its doors. The Trust has a history of supporting the School and playing a small role in reaching this milestone.
Developing
Students for Leadership in DataIntensive Research and Innovation: 2013, $100,000
Funding helped establish and provide opportunities for across Grounds collaborations and innovation around the work of data science, research opportunities for graduate students across disciplines, and provide greater visibility to the innovative and important data science work occurring at UVA. This support ultimately helped establish the Data Science Institute.
Data for the Social Good: 2019, $50,000
Data Science faculty, staff, students and alumni developed a set of tools to match community non-profits needing data analysis help with students and service-learning classes. The program has established the Community Data Fellows Program and continues to work with community partners to make data science relevant and accessible, and build sustainable, valuable relationships.
Workforce Development in Data Science for Autistic Young Adults (MINDS): 2021, $99,200
A multidisciplinary team created a program to prepare a new generation of adults on the autism spectrum to be data scientists. “Out of the 6 students in the program, 5 had related internships/jobs by the end of the program. These students all were on the autism spectrum and had struggled to find relevant positions. This was the goal of the entire program, and we feel like this was the major impact to the community at large,” shared project director, Kylen Baskerville. The team is working on securing additional funding for the expansion and continuation of the program.
Evaluating Collaboratory Cultures:
2023, $298,693
Researchers are studying interaction networks, collaboration, and other collaborative metrics to understand and illustrate how more collaborative groups and cultures can be built across Grounds and throughout academia.
Sports Science and Analytics Collective:
2023, $123,314
The collective blends research and practical application in sports, healthy living, and musculoskeletal health to accelerate efforts in research, collaboration, and student education. Consistent out-of-the-classroom learning experiences and established partnerships with industry experts have aided the Collective in securing additional funding, and elevated students’ interest and participation.
Preparing Students for Careers in Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (CTAP):
2024, $90,000
Through research, outreach, collaboration, and pilot courses, the Careers in Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence Program (CTAP) aims to provide UVA students with the skills and knowledge required to succeed in the growing Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) workforce.
To learn more about the history of data science at UVA, check out the Story of Us.
“The operative word is “Trust.” In the case of the School of Data Science (SDS) this does not refer to the type of organization, but that the Trust has put its trust in us and enabled us to undertake projects of benefit to UVA and the community that would not have otherwise been possible. We are most grateful.”
-Phil Bourne, Stephenson Founding Dean
of the School of Data Science
IMPACT
Each Trust grant funds a new idea. Some of these ideas are in areas of specific importance to the University President or Provost. ‘University priorities’ are not permanent but rather timebound areas of focus where administrators put additional resources toward advancing UVA. Trust support can play a unique role in jumpstarting a project or program toward having an immediate impact. Entrepreneurship is a current University priority and one that the Trust has supported often.
In the past two years alone, through our Annual and Flash Funding cycles, the Trust has funded several projects that directly impact the entrepreneurship effort, such as:
Changemaker Bootcamp, a week-long, experiential program in social entrepreneurship for undergraduates.
Entrepreneurship for All, a UVA faculty led high school program for youth from historically marginalized communities to create their own ventures and social enterprises.
Darden Emerging Markets Conference, designed to bring thought leaders, professionals, academicians, and students together to discuss emerging markets in a post-COVID world.
Black Economic Empowerment Society, designed to increase financial literacy, emphasize the importance of asset ownership, and empower Black UVA students to start businesses.
The Virginia Undergraduate Investment Conference (VUIC), which provided hands-on experience in equity analysis and investment for students.
The Trust has also distributed over $100,000 from operating funds to support entrepreneurial program thanks to a generous gift from the Norell Family. We are committed to being a part of the entrepreneurial ecosystem across Grounds, funding ideas and fostering innovation that will make UVA an even better place.
“The Jefferson Trust has been a catalyst for entrepreneurial activity around Grounds for years. As the University embarks on its next phase of its entrepreneurial journey with the creation of the President and Provost’s pan-university entrepreneurship initiative, we are excited to partner with the Trust to provide critical support to our students and the broader community as we build a truly robust and transformational entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
-Michael Lenox, Tadler Chair in Entrepreneurship and Special Advisor
