University of Cincinnati Foundation

University of Cincinnati Foundation

The University of Cincinnati Foundation formed in 1975 as a 501(c)(3) fundraising arm for the university and UC Health. President Rich Bundy runs the foundation's day-to-day operations, while Leigh Fox — CEO of Cincinnati Bell — chairs the board of trustees. The foundation does not determine the use of gifts; funds are strictly governed by donor restrictions, or allocated by UC and UC Health when given without restrictions. Karl Scheer oversees investment strategy with a portfolio that prioritizes government bonds and direct real estate, alongside a university-particular digital-assets pocket. Physical holdings documented in public records include the Digital Futures Building, a Reading Road land parcel, and artworks by Patricia Renick and Pablo Picasso. The Kautz-Uible Economics Institute Crypto Fund — seeded by donors Dan Kautz and Woody Uible — represents a distinct allocation within the broader endowment, blending philanthropic intent with niche asset exposure that few academic endowments of this size maintain. An estimated $723M in assets (Altss estimate) supports the university's record enrollment growth and capital projects, with recent gifts reinforcing the medical and law schools. In May 2026, the foundation announced a $15 million bequest from George Bemis, Jr., MD, endowing a chair at the College of Medicine. Institutional affiliation includes membership in NACUBO, the National Association of College and University Business Officers. The foundation's structural differentiator is the complete donor-control guiderail: it legally cannot redeploy capital across university units at its own discretion. The investment office, led by Scheer, must match its liquidity profile and risk posture to both a traditional university liability stream and donor-imposed time-bound mandates — a governance constraint that makes it a disciplined, if conservative, allocator in the Midwest endowment cohort.