Ways to Give

The diverse student body at SFSU includes many students who are the first in their families to attend college. Making the University accessible through scholarships to students in need is a priority for the University. There are many established scholarship funds to support, from athletics to general needs. Many of our scholarships are endowed funds that grow over time to keep pace with the rising tuition and fees. To learn more about scholarships at SFSU, please see our dedicated Scholarships page: Fund Scholarships.

You can make a pledge, donate any amount as a one-time gift or set up a monthly recurring gift through our secure online giving form: Donate.

Please make checks payable to The University Corporation, San Francisco State. For endowment gifts, make checks payable to SFSU Foundation. Mail checks to:

Office of University Development
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Avenue, ADM 153
San Francisco, CA 94132

To make a gift to SFSU via wire transfer, and to obtain the appropriate forms with ABA routing numbers and account information, please contact the Office of University Development at (415) 338-1042 or email develop@sfsu.edu.

SFSU accepts grants and distributions from external donor-advised funds. To make a gift to SFSU through your donor-advised fund, please contact your fund sponsor or financial advisor to recommend a grant to San Francisco State University. You may designate your gift to a specific college, program, scholarship or other area of support. For more information, please contact University Development at (415) 338-1042 or develop@sfsu.edu.

Donating appreciated securities to the University (such as stocks, bonds and mutual fund shares) may offer tax advantages while maximizing the value of your donation to our students and programs.

To make a gift of stock or securities and obtain the appropriate forms with broker account information for SFSU, please contact University Development at (415) 338-1042 or develop@sfsu.edu. A member of our team will help ensure your gift is properly documented and processed in a timely manner.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 
Once you have obtained the appropriate form from University Development, please complete it and provide it to your broker to initiate the gift. If you are transferring securities from a joint account, both account owners must sign the form. Securities may be donated from multiple companies held within the same account. You may also make a single transfer for donations to multiple designations within the University.

Many employers will match their employees’ charitable contributions, doubling or even tripling donations. Use the Matching Gifts search tool below to see if your employer will match your gift. Be sure to let your employer know about your gift so that they submit their match to SFSU.

Planned and estate gifts to SFSU are attractive to alumni and friends for tax purposes and to ensure that your donation is directed to areas of the University important to you. Consider a charitable gift annuity, a charitable remainder trust, gifts of insurance or other income-generating assets — options that can benefit SFSU, your estate and potentially your heirs. For more information, please visit our dedicated Planned Giving page.

The IRA charitable rollover permits individuals who are 70½ and older to transfer funds directly from their IRA to SFSU free from federal income tax. Visit our IRA Charitable Rollover page to learn more about how you can redirect IRA income to SFSU and help students and programs. For more information, please contact Thomas A. Mullaney, Esq., and Steve Kelton, directors, at (415) 338-7460 or giftplan@sfsu.edu.

We welcome donations of real estate and other appreciated assets, such as fine art. We’ll guide you through any liquidation arrangements, including handling all the sales, if you prefer. Real estate and appreciated assets may be donated outright as well as through our Planned Giving office. Please contact our resident experts in these matters, Thomas A. Mullaney, Esq., and Steve Kelton, directors, at (415) 338-7460 or giftplan@sfsu.edu.

The value of a gift-in-kind is tax-deductible and may include a wide range of tangible personal property such as furniture and equipment, personal libraries, etc. Call (415) 338-1042 or email develop@sfsu.edu, and we'll help match your potential donation with a particular need at SFSU.

Cy pres awards are funds generated by a class action lawsuit that cannot be awarded or are unclaimed. Under the cy pres doctrine, courts can designate a nonprofit as the recipient of these funds, as long as the nonprofit’s mission furthers the purposes of the underlying causes of action or promotes justice for all citizens and/or consumers in the state of California. SFSU is such a nonprofit.

With a focus on academic excellence, community service and inclusion, SFSU has many programs that qualify for cy pres awards within its seven colleges and dozens of areas of study and concentration. Learn more about allocating cy pres funds to SFSU: Cy Pres.

Explore how supporting SFSU can help advance your corporation’s or foundation’s mission. For more information, visit the Corporate and Foundation Relations page.