A private university can only achieve excellence with significant financial support from its Board of Trustees. Leadership gifts from its trustees distinguish the vibrant, growing colleges and universities from those striving for survival and dependent on annual unrestricted gifts for operations. As do other benefactors, trustees have a desire to invest in specific programs or areas of interest that benefit students and ensure the long term success of Viterbo University. The Annual Trustees' Opportunity Fund meets both goals—to direct leadership level gifts to areas of trustee interest that are aligned with the vision and success of the university. The fund will support new ventures, entrepreneurial initiatives, provide seed money for innovation, and risk capital to advance the University's strategic plan specific priorities. It is a tangible and substantial commitment of the Board to take Viterbo University to a new level of excellence and distinctiveness.
Since FY07, the Annual Trustees' Opportunity Fund has raised over $2.5 million in funding to provide a margin of excellence to our faculty, staff, and students. Without the generosity of the Viterbo University Board of Trustees, many of these worthwhile projects would be delayed in implementation or simply not within reach of being accomplished.
Proposal Process
Applications for a grant may be submitted by faculty, administration, staff, and students. Completed proposals should be routed electronically through individual supervisors to appropriate cabinet member for consideration. Cabinet members submit recommended requests electronically to the president for review. Generally, projects are funded for only one year and do not incur a continuing obligation for support—such as salaries/wages. Submitted requests for the Annual Trustees' Opportunity Fund should be simply stated and short in length. Typically, grants are made in the $1,000–$5,000 range. The request must include:
- Title
- Purpose: A description of the activity.
- Rationale and Impact: Explanation of how the project advances one or more of the institutional priorities in the current strategic plan and ultimately, the mission of the university.
- Amount Requested/Budget: The amount requested and total budget for the proposed project.
There are no specific deadlines. Grants are made on a rolling basis contingent upon funding available.