USM Fund Family Philanthropy Drive

Today! USM’s fiscal year runs annually from July 1 through June 30. Gifts to the USM Fund made during July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 count toward the current year’s USM Fund goal of $1,400,000.

You can give online (credit, debit, or wire transfer/ACH), send a check by mail, through a Donor Advised Fund (DAF), or through gifts of stock or other appreciated assets. USM also accepts gifts from retirement accounts (including required minimum distributions). The Advancement Office is happy to assist with any questions about giving options!

Yes! University School of Milwaukee is a designated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and does not receive financial support from public sources. Gifts to the USM Fund are tax-deductible and may qualify for employer matching gift programs. Additionally, many organizations and businesses with charitable foundations make contributions to the USM Fund, increasing the impact of their support.

The USM Fund advances academic excellence, supports faculty, enhances the arts and athletics, invests in technology and facilities, and ensures students are engaged, known, and valued. Because the USM Fund provides unrestricted dollars, it allows the school to respond quickly to emerging needs and opportunities.

Some examples of what the USM Fund has supported during the 2025-26 school year are:

• New and upgraded secure door access at the Uihlein Ice Arena and main entry doors of each division, including additions of cameras and door controls
• Lubar Center woodshop tool and laser upgrades, MS Makerspace 3D printers and new laser cutter
• 34 SMART panels for all PS/LS classrooms
• Anatomage tablets for US science and Anatomy Team
• 72-seat school bus
• New basketball hoop controls in all three gyms
• New classroom furniture for US classrooms
• Performing arts enhancements, including additional microphones, new stage curtains and rigging repair for Young Theatre
• Tutoring suite furniture for the Academic Resource Center serving LS, MS, and US students

Yes, USM Fund gifts are contributions directly to the school and support all programs, facilities, faculty and staff of USM and count toward our annual fundraising and participation goals. Gifts to the USM Fund are tax-deductible.

‘Wildcat Thank You’ contributions are tokens of appreciation to faculty and staff. Gifts to ‘Wildcat Thank You’ are NOT tax-deductible and do not count toward our annual fundraising and participation goals.

While the USM Fund provides essential support for all programs and students at USM, it does not provide direct tuition assistance for scholarship recipients. All scholarships are funded through USM’s endowment of named funds whose restricted purpose is tuition assistance.

Gifts to the USM Fund support our school’s operating budget and are unrestricted, allowing USM to make immediate responses to emerging needs of the school each day. The USM Fund offers flexibility and responsiveness, helping the school sustain excellence day to day.

All gifts to the USM Fund made between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2028 are counted toward the Our Commitment to Excellence campaign. Your USM Fund gift not only strengthens the school today—it also advances the broader goals of this important campaign. We encourage community members interested in continuing their annual (USM Fund) support and participating in the campaign to consider multi-year USM Fund commitments.