The campaign to permanently endow scholarships for student staff members of The Daily Texan has surpassed its original $300,000 goal, leading the Friends of The Daily Texan to set a new target goal of $500,000 to mark the 125th year of publication of the student newspaper.
The new goal would cover all existing scholarship grants, fully funding them through funds deposited with UT Development.
“As The Daily Texan prepares to start its 125th anniversary year in October, we felt the timing is right to ask Daily Texan alums to step forward, honor the student paper’s outstanding history and support The Texan and its staff to build for the future by expanding our fundraising efforts,” said John Reetz, president of Friends of The Daily Texan, Inc.
The Friends group set an initial goal of $300,000 in mid-2022, and as the campaign began, the Friends picked up two additional funded scholarships for staff members from generous donors, increasing the number of grants from 11 to 13.
And the endowment donations passed the $361,000 march this spring, leading to the decision to set a new goal of $500,000 which fully funds all 13 scholarships as The Texan starts its 125th year of publication.
“Today the Friends group seeks your help on phase two our most challenging project since founded in 2013: to raise additional funds to reach $500,000 and fully endow the group’s Daily Texan student scholarships for the future,” the Friends Endowment Committee said.
“We ask the thousands of Daily Texan ”graduates” to join with us and support these grants for the future. If The Texan was a part of your college career, please step forward now. If you support student journalism at the University of Texas, please step forward now.”
“Several of the current grants are funded by annual fundraising. This new goal will ensure that all scholarships will outlive us and stand as support for student journalism at the University of Texas,” Reetz said.
Winners of this year’s Friends of The Daily Texan cash awards were announced March 22 during the organization’s annual Hall of Fame celebration event. Thirteen staffers from The Daily Texan at The University of Texas at Austin were selected to receive grants totaling $23,500.
You can find a full list of past award winners here.
Please consider giving at this link to fund our expanding roster of awards and support The Daily Texan as its needs change in the digital age.
If sending a check is more convenient, make it to Friends of The Daily Texan. Mail it to Friends of The Daily Texan, Inc., #806, 1401 Lavaca St., Austin, TX 78701.
Every gift of any size and every donor will be recognized in a lasting manner, reminding generations of Texan staffers to come that those who came before them still support them, The Daily Texan and what it stands for.
The Friends group has a strong record of accomplishment: the group financially supported the digital library of all copies of The Daily Texan from its beginning in 1900, photo and video equipment, technology needs, seminars and conferences, training, travel, financial grants, Student Voices and Horn Raiser campaigns, special projects, event coverage and more.
The fund-raising effort will continue well into 2025 to meet the goal.
Please reach out with any questions to [email protected].
The Friends group is a 501 (3) (c) non-profit corporation. Funds raised for this campaign will help build the existing fund the Friends has with the University of Texas Development Office. Friends of The Daily Texan, Inc. is a non-profit organization established to lend support and assistance to The Daily Texan, an institution at the University of Texas at Austin since 1900. Members include alumni of The Texan, plus other supporters of a free and unfettered student media at UT. The group’s guiding principle is etched in stone at the entrance to one of the buildings occupied by The Texan during its illustrious journalistic history: Vincit omnia veritas. Truth conquers all.