Holiday Challenge

Thank you to FUAMN for your 2023 Holiday Challenge!

Group of people in a conference room, some standing and some sitting. A banner to the left of the group reads "Friends of the University of Alaska Museum of the North."

Back Row: (L to R) Richard Glenn, Vera Lincoln, Linda Witt, Dave Norton, Tim Doran, Mary Binkley, Roger Burggraf, DeLois Burggraf, Wendy Ward
Front Row: (L to R) Ron Inouye, Dori Olsen, Charles Brower, Janet Brower

What an exciting holiday giving season! The Friends of UA Museum of the North offered a matching challenge over the 2023 winter holiday season. The Friends matched gifts to the Annual Fund, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000. The response from the community was incredibly generous, with a collective $23,812 donated during the challenge. Thanks to the Friends of UAMN and the community, $33,812 was raised for the museum's most immediate needs during the 2023 Friends Holiday Challenge.

2022 FUAMN Holiday Challenge Success

The Friends of UA Museum of the North hosted a $10,000 matching challenge over the 2022 winter holiday season. All gifts to the Annual Fund were matched, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000. The community gave a collective $13,685 during the challenge. Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Friends of UAMN and the community, $23,685 was raised for the museum's most immediate needs. We are thrilled!

Several people stand in front of a dinosaur mural. Two are holding a giant check, made out to the UA Museum of the North.

An Outstanding 2021 FUAMN Holiday Challenge

Thanks to an incredible $10,000 Challenge from the Friends of UA Museum of the North, all gifts to the museum’s Annual Fund during December 2021 were matched dollar for dollar, up to $10,000. The community answered the challenge with $17,568 in collective gifts. The result is $27,568 to support the museum’s Annual Fund, the source of critical funding for the museum’s most immediate needs. Thank you, Friends of UAMN!

Successful 2020 FUAMN Holiday Challenge

The Friends of UA Museum of the North, led by Ron Inouye, challenged the community with a $5,000 matching grant to the museum over the 2020 winter holiday season. The community responded by donating a collective $17,425 during the challenge. Thanks to the generous support of the Friends of UAMN and the community, $22,425 was raised for the museum's most immediate needs. This marks the fifth year in a row for a challenge from Friends of UAMN.

You can always make your gift to the museum by donating online.

Report on 2019 FUAMN Holiday Challenge

Two people stand in front of a dinosaur sculpture. One is handing a check to the other.
Left: Betsy Sturm, representing Friends of UAMN, presents a $5,000 check to UAMN Museum Director Pat Druckenmiller for the 2019 Friends of UAMN Challenge Grant.

Three people stand on a staircase, holding a cartoon picture of a bear. The bear is holding a sign saying "Thank You!"
Right: Ron Inouye (r-top) and Betsy Sturm (r-bottom) present a second $5,000 check to UAMN Museum Director Pat Druckenmiller.

An exciting update:

Thanks to the generosity of many Fairbanks and Interior residents, Museum Director Pat Druckenmiller received a second $5,000 check from the successful community match challenge grant offered by the Friends of the UA Museum of the North Ron Inouye and Betsy Sturm.

The Friends of UA Museum of the North, led by Ron Inouye, challenged the community with a $5,000 matching grant to the museum over the 2019 winter holiday season. The community responded by donating a collective $26,490 during the challenge. Thanks to the generous support of the Friends of UAMN and the community, $31,490 was raised for the museum's most immediate needs. This marks the fourth year in a row for a challenge from Friends of UAMN.

Report on 2018 FUAMN Holiday Challenge

The Friends of UA Museum of the North, led by Ron Inouye, challenged the community with a $10,000 matching grant to the museum over the 2018 winter holiday season. The community responded by donating a collective $21,226 during the challenge. Thanks to the generous support of the Friends of UAMN and the community, $31,226 was raised for the museum's most immediate needs. This marks the third year in a row for a challenge from Friends of UAMN.

Two people hold a giant check made out to the UA Museum of the North. Three other people look on.

Thanks to the Friends of UAMN. Pictured from left are members Mary Binkley, Donna Dinsmore, Museum Director Pat Druckenmiller, Roger Burggraf, and Don Gray.

Report on 2017 FUAMN Holiday Challenge

For the second year in a row, the Friends of UA Museum of the North, led by Ron Inouye, challenged the community to match their $20,000 gift to the museum by making donations before December 31, 2017. The community responded to their challenge by donating just over $22,000 to the museum during the challenge period. We thank the generous support from the Friends of the UA Museum of the North for leveraging their gift! The total raised during the museum's 2017 holiday fund drive was a combined $42,000.

PS: Are you of the age where you must take an annual mandatory distribution from an IRA account? If so, please consider supporting the UA Museum of the North’s Annual Fund by making a tax deductible donation directly from your retirement – it’s surprisingly easy to do! For more information, please contact Harry Need, UA Foundation Senior Director of Philanthropic Services at hwneed@alaska.edu or 907-786-4840.