Advocacy Resources

The LSU Foundation is the primary fundraising entity for academic priorities on the flagship campus. The LSU Foundation’s sole purpose is to cultivate and invest in philanthropic partnerships that advance LSU’s priorities. We are an affiliated support organization for LSU, functioning as a private 501(c)3 nonprofit, and we provide limited support to other campuses within the LSU System. Visit lsufoundation.org/missionvisionvalues for more on our purpose.

The LSU Foundation’s work is accomplished through the work of a campus-wide team of frontline development officers, a support team based in the LSU Foundation Center for Philanthropy, a Board of Directors, and the National Board.

We manage most of the investments and serve as trustees for most of the endowed funds and other private assets contributed for the benefit of LSU. The value of the total assets we manage naturally fluctuates with market conditions. As of June 30, 2023, total assets were $881.7 million, including $594.8 million in endowed assets.

The LSU Real Estate and Facilities Foundation is an affiliate of the LSU Foundation. The National Board is not involved with any REFF projects, and REFF projects typically do not utilize philanthropic funding. Current REFF projects include the restoration of the University Lakes in Baton Rouge and the revitalization of Charity Hospital in New Orleans. Prior to REFF being established, a similar-purpose foundation – the LSU Property Foundation – developed the Nicholson Gateway Project, inclusive of the 28-acre site where the LSU Foundation building sits and several recently renovated residence halls at the core of campus. Such partnerships enable real estate projects to be realized more quickly than would be possible for LSU, while reducing capital and maintenance costs.

As a National Board member, you might meet an LSU alumnus or a prospective supporter who is not familiar with the LSU Foundation. Here are a few ways to quickly describe our scope and impact.

• Version 1: The LSU Foundation raises money to support academics at LSU.

• Version 2: The LSU Foundation is solely focused on advancing LSU’s academic priorities. Gifts to the LSU Foundation support the areas of campus that the donor chooses.

• Version 3: The LSU Foundation fundraises for LSU’s academic priorities. LSU has never been in a stronger position academically. Philanthropy is a crucial part of that success – through scholarships and support for faculty, research, innovation, and capital projects.

What is the LSU Foundation’s IRS classification and federal tax I.D.?

The LSU Foundation is classified by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)3 charitable organization, which means donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. We are also eligible to receive donations from donor advised funds. Our federal tax I.D. is 72-6020969.

Are the LSU Foundation and the LSU Alumni Association the same?

The LSU Foundation and the LSU Alumni Association are separate affiliated support organizations for LSU that work together. The Alumni Association focuses on helping alumni maintain close ties with the university; the LSU Foundation focuses on providing academic support for LSU through philanthropy.

Can donors choose what their gifts support?

Yes! We encourage donors to focus their generosity in support of LSU’s academic priorities to achieve maximum impact. Donors choose to support excellence through unrestricted, flexible spending, as well as scholarships, faculty support, research, facility upgrades, internships, faculty research, community outreach and many other areas of passion.

Are there other ways besides monetary giving to help LSU?

LSU always welcomes alumni’s and friends’ engagement and volunteerism. We are happy to connect supporters with opportunities to mentor or hire current LSU students, or to help recruit prospective students. All Tigers can showcase their love for LSU by sharing the university’s good news, accolades, and achievements.

Louisiana is at the center of many of our nation’s core challenges and opportunities because of our geography, culture, and economy. LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda aligns core areas of strength and potential strength with Louisiana’s most important challenges and opportunities. As Louisiana’s flagship university, LSU is elevating lives in ways that have positive impact on communities everywhere.

President Tate has identified five areas of focus: agriculture, biomedical, coast, defense, and energy. A comprehensive overview of each area is online at lsu.edu/scholarship-first. Brief summaries are provided below.

• Agriculture: LSU will merge traditional practices in agriculture with advancing technology and modern tools to improve outcomes for Louisiana farmers, ensure food security for every person in our state, and establish LSU AgCenter and Agricultural College as the leading providers of agricultural innovation and education for the nation.

• Biomedical: Every endeavor we undertake is contingent upon our health. With eight institutions spanning Louisiana and all levels of higher education and research, LSU will help meet the challenge of improving the state’s health outcomes head-on. We will bring together top talent and resources, ranging from clinical research to artificial intelligence.

• Coast: Consistent with our charge as the state’s Sea Grant university, LSU will strengthen its position as a global leader in collaborative coastal research. We will find solutions to pressing problems experienced by Louisianans today, with a focus on hurricanes, flooding, land loss, and sea-level rise. Our resiliency in overcoming these challenges today will provide a roadmap for global decision-making in the future.

• Defense: Through bold investment, partnerships, and building on strong platforms, such as our applied cybersecurity program and proud history of military service, LSU will produce the leaders and cyber warriors who are essential to protecting our economy, critical infrastructure, people, and borders. We will reimagine the defense of our future, by building cybersecurity, ROTC, and technical leadership programs that are the best of their kind in the United States.

• Energy: LSU will partner with industry to find new ways to fuel our nation. By building a research platform for energy resilience, aimed at reducing carbon emissions and reusing and recycling carbon, we will translate existing resources and expertise into new opportunities and jobs to power Louisiana and protect the vitality of Louisiana’s energy industry.

Learn More

Following are several recent LSU-led research wins aligned with the Scholarship First Agenda, shared by Dr. Robert Twilley, LSU vice president for research and economic development.

In 2024, LSU surpassed the $488 million mark in research activity for the first time. This remarkable uptick represents a 14 percent increase for the LSU family, above the university’s aspirational goal of growing its collaborative research enterprise 10 percent year to year. This leap is a direct outcome of the university’s commitment to solve pressing problems for Louisiana and the world, from food insecurity to obesity and cancer, and challenges to our coastal communities, security, and energy supply. More

Agriculture

• Through the 64 AgCenter extension offices, 15 research stations, and Sea Grant offices, every farmer, fisherman, and parish in the state has direct access to LSU and its experts.

• Sixty percent of the rice planted in Louisiana was developed by LSU; new varieties will be developed thanks to a $10 million USDA research grant.

• Louisiana leads the nation in sugarcane production, and LSU has worked with farmers statewide for over 100 years on new sugarcane varieties to increase yield. 

• An LSU ag scientist won a national award for helping Louisiana’s sweet potato farmers increase their yield. 

• LSU secured a Board of Regents center to combat invasive species on land and in water. 

Biomedicine

• LSU‘s Pennington Biomedical Research Center has been involved in the development of all approved obesity medications on the market.

• In hospitals nationwide, more people die from sepsis than from anything else, but a new sepsis test based on LSU and Our Lady of the Lake Health research and advances in microfluidics is saving lives.

• An LSU biologist won the university’s largest early-career award ever—more than $1 million—for research to help people and animals who suffer from anxiety and PTSD.

• The new $80 million Center for Medical Education at LSU Health Shreveport brings the first high biosafety lab to serve North Louisiana.

Coast

• LSU researchers are leading cross-disciplinary efforts to address the rapid decline of Roseau cane — vital to Gulf Coast stability — backed by a $1.6 million USDA investment in restoration solutions.

• The U.S. Army and LSU are using Louisiana as a living lab to study nature-based solutions to protect military assets and the coast.

• LSU and Tulane were awarded $22 million from the National Academies to predict long-term impacts of state and federal efforts to control the Mississippi River.

• LSU and LaHouse are developing resilient building practices and materials to increase long-term value for Louisiana homeowners and residents.

• LSU was awarded $880,000 from the National Academies to help the Louisiana Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe protect its people and ancestral lands.

Defense

• At NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, LSU — through its National Center for Advanced Manufacturing — is supporting the assembly of Moon and Mars rockets, bolstered by a $7.5 million NASA investment to create a digital twin that enhances operations and trains future space engineers. 

• LSU operates the only NSA-funded cybersecurity clinic for small businesses, who work directly with students to understand and improve their cyber defense.

• LSU stood up a Security Operations Center where students work with industry every day to defend against real cyberattacks on universities across the state.

• LSU’s federally funded CyberCorps – where cyber students work for the government after graduation – is one of the largest in the country, securing $3.7 million so far.

• LSU is one of only 20 schools to be designated by the NSA as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations, the agency’s most technical designation.

• In the past year, LSU secured more than $13 million in R&D from national security, intelligence, law enforcement, and defense agencies to tackle cyber and security problems.

Energy

• Before helping secure $160 million in federal support for Louisiana’s energy future, LSU joined the H2theFuture initiative to drive hydrogen innovation and a net-zero industrial corridor— leveraging its flagship campus as a testbed for CO₂ capture and storage at the PERTT Lab.

• LSU won the national championship in R&D with the largest National Science Foundation grant ever awarded. LSU’s statewide team, called FUEL, will work to advance energy.

• As part of a $27.5 million investment, Shell dedicated $25 million to launching the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation.

• LSU beat out nearly 400 schools and regions to secure a Tech Hubs designation for Louisiana.

• LSU and Shell partnered to win $5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop Direct Air Capture technology in Louisiana.

LSU announced a $9.575 million gift to support educational access, strengthen Louisiana’s economy, and enhance programs for veterans and ROTC. Learn more.

LSU unveiled plans for the new Construction & Advanced Manufacturing Building, designed to elevate Louisiana’s economy. Learn more.

On March 15, LSU broke ground on the Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building. Learn more