University of Iowa foundation no longer accepting gifts to UI diversity fund

IOWA CITY — As the University of Iowa works to comply with Board of Regents directives and legislative mandates to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion work across campus, its philanthropic foundation — the UI Center for Advancement — is grappling with how to handle the tens of thousands donated to a long-standing diversity fund.

That fund — established in 2013 as a “UI Diversity Initiatives Fund” — is “no longer accepting new gifts or disbursing funds,” center spokeswoman Rebekah Tilley told The Gazette last week.

Given the center’s mission and legal mandate to fulfill the intent of donors who give to the university, Tilley said her organization is working with UI partners “to determine the best way to honor its original intent within legal parameters.”

A pause on that fund’s collection and distribution follows strident condemnation of DEI policies, practices, and spending across Iowa’s public universities from Republican lawmakers — who, echoing discourse at the national level, have demanded a total DEI pullback.

Those demands manifested in legislation last session barring the universities from establishing, maintaining, or funding a DEI office or DEI employees. This session, Republican lawmakers again have proposed bills going further — addressing the loophole of accreditation requirements, restricting DEI in the classroom, and pushing for more intellectual and philosophical diversity across the campuses.

The Board of Regents — responding to legislative calls — in November 2023 levied 10 directives to the institutions, including calls to restructure central DEI offices to cut functions not required by law or for accreditation; eliminate DEI positions; and review DEI-related general education categories.

In April 2024, UI officials told the regents they had completed or nearly completed efforts to comply with each directive — including changing the name of the UI Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to UI Division of Access, Opportunity, and Diversity to better reflect its revamped focus on federal requirements, student services, and access for all.

Fund evolution

In 2020 — when campuses nationally were doubling down on DEI, including at the University of Iowa, where administrators touted “excellence through diversity, equity, and inclusion” as a core value — the UI Center for Advancement updated the name of its “Diversity Initiatives Fund” to “Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fund,” with contributions going straight to that unit.

When the university last year again amended the division name to reflect its reformed mission, the center again updated the fund name to “Division of Access, Opportunity, and Diversity Fund.”

“The name of the general fund supporting the unit was updated accordingly,” Tilley told The Gazette before the division’s closure last week. “The Division of Access, Opportunity and Diversity Fund reflects the new work of the division and is used in alignment with both gift intent and legal requirements.”

Prior to the closure — given the division’s shift in mission — the UI Center for Advancement was following a “standard process when the name or purpose of a gift fund needs to be modified.”

“If the original donor who established the fund can be consulted, we will reach out to the donor to modify the fund,” Tilley said, noting the University of Iowa in this case created the fund. “If the original donor who established the fund cannot be consulted, we rely upon the Iowa Code sections pertinent to these situations for modifying the fund.”

Iowa Code Chapter 540A allows an institution — with donor consent — to “release or modify, in whole or in part, a restriction contained in a gift.”

“A release or modification shall not allow a fund to be used for a purpose other than a charitable purpose of the institution,” according to the law, which stipulates a court can modify a gift restriction “if the restriction has become impracticable or if, because of circumstances not anticipated by the donor, the restriction will defeat or substantially impair the accomplishment of the purposes of the institutional fund.”

Additionally, if a “charitable purpose or a restriction contained in a gift” becomes “unlawful, impracticable, or impossible to fulfill,” the court can modify the purpose of the fund or the restriction “in a manner consistent with the charitable purposes expressed in the gift.”

At present, the center’s now frozen diversity fund has $29,816, according to Tilley. Gifts to that fund over the years have been used for “general support based on the strategic needs of the division and can be spent in a variety of ways that meet that directive.”

The UI Center for Advancement received 41 gifts into that fund in 2023, 38 gifts in 2024, and three in 2025.

In response to The Gazette’s question of how many donors have been contacted about the fund changes, Tilley said the center doesn’t have a reliable way to track that number but noted, “The university put out a detailed, public account of the transition from the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to the Division of Access, Opportunity, and Diversity.”

Neither Iowa State University’s nor University of Northern Iowa’s foundations had a DEI-specific fund.

Journey to Unity

For years, and as recent as last fall, the University of Iowa has been inviting donors to “support Iowa’s journey to unity” by giving to the DEI or AOD division fund.

“We are committed to the exchange of diverse ideas and concepts, embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into the core fabric of our institution, and providing a welcoming environment where perspectives can be shared without fear of retribution,” the university’s revamped Division of Access, Opportunity, and Diversity shared in November 2024. “You can join our ‘Journey to Unity’ by supporting programs that teach listening, respect, and training, and the recruitment and retention of students, faculty, and staff at the University of Iowa.”

Giving, according to the AOD website, would “help build the University of Iowa into a more creative, collaborative, and civil institution for the next generation.”

Under frequently asked questions about the university’s Journey to Unity campaign, officials characterized it as “something different.”

“It positively impacts the development of skills needed to listen, learn, and respect each other,” according to the site. “While it focuses on marginalized students, faculty, and staff, it also touches everyone at the University by building a solid unity of purpose, leading to community unity.”

To the question of why the university needs these programs, officials said the university “is a place where all people should feel safe and included.”

“We strive to be a welcoming campus where hate and racism are not accepted,” according to the site. “Freedom of expression is a cherished right of all while we respect our differences. As we continue to grow our ability to listen, learn and be fair to each other, we use these tools to grow our community, its collaboration, and gain civil respect for each other.”

Under the Center for Advancement’s “donor intent compliance” webpage, the foundation listed several policies and practices that help it achieve its mission of fulfilling donor intent, including:

The center also noted that to ensure donor-intent compliance, its board of directors has assigned an audit committee to oversee donor intentions, restrictions, and performance, “regularly reporting its findings to the board.”

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com