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A group of people standing on a street corner looking up at a digital image of a tree on a digital billboard in New York City's Times Square.

Art in Times Square

Donors are creating an impact that reaches far beyond campus.

Photo by Michael Hull courtesy of Times Square Arts

2026 Report to Donors

The Coast Salish teaching of ʔay̓nəw̓əl ʔist |ÍY,NEUELIST reminds us to move forward together for the good of all. It calls on us to come to the table as engaged and authentic partners.

That is exactly what you have done.

Your generosity is helping people learn, connect and create change. Because of you, new ideas are taking shape. Students are finding their path. Communities are working together on climate, health, and Indigenous resurgence. This report shares some examples of that impact.

It is hard to say how far the impact stretches. It might reach a visitor to Times Square in New York. It might change the lives of our grandchildren’s grandchildren. What we know for sure is that it begins with you, and reaches far beyond campus.

Together, 5,823 donors gave $44.94 million

$7.2M

to endowment

to be invested for years to come
$37.42M

in funds that can be spent right away

A male student with dark hair and glasses standing beside a female student with long blond hair outside in front of a building surrounded by trees..

Indigenous mental health and wellbeing

The donor-funded Chief Mungo Martin Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health is drawing graduate students from afar to UVic. Students like Alix Printup and Jayden Bousfield chose UVic for learning and mentorship. In turn, they’re expanding research in Indigenous mental health, and ultimately reducing health disparities for Indigenous communities.

Erika Germanos stands with three undergraduate students at a learning station about controlled burning at the Royal BC Museum.

Future educators spark climate hope

With a donor-funded grant, assistant professor Erika Germanos and students in her climate change education course put on a climate education exhibit, turning the Royal BC Museum into an interactive classroom.

UVic donors

5,823

donors

FY 2025-26
3,374

alumni donors gave $6.45M

668

employee donors gave $285K

1,736

new members in our donor community!

A person wearing a red hat and a person in a suit hold a beaver pelt hung on a large willow hoop between them

Revitalizing Indigenous law

A $10-million gift from the Law Foundation of BC will support work to revitalize Secwépemc legal orders through a UVic initiative called Next Steps. It builds on the Foundation’s long-standing partnership with UVic Faculty of Law to support innovative legal education and drive meaningful societal transformation.

 Charlotte Davidson and Fawzan Hussain walk across campus.

Supporting first-year students

Donor generosity unlocked the opportunity to launch First Year Interconnect, a peer mentorship program that helps new learners to thrive and upper-year students to develop as leaders.

Donors supporting students

$14.7M

in donor-funded awards supported 3,376 students

FY 2025-26
1 in 7

UVic students received a donor-funded award

Community coming together

These stories show we are stronger together! When the donor community comes together it can create a ripple effect beyond UVic, to inspire leadership, collective action and change hearts and minds.

A woman wearing the number 29 on her UVic Vikes soccer uniform dribbles a soccer ball down field past her opponent during a game.

Vikes spirit keeps giving

​Generous donations from alumni through the Vikes Championship Breakfast helped set up the Mia Gucci Gunter Spirit Vikes Women’s Soccer Annual Award to honour a former Vike who fostered a strong and supportive team culture. That team culture is on full display when the team takes part in the annual Gucci Games as a fundraiser for the Special Olympics Alberta. Scarlett McNeely, who received the award this year, says this is just one example of Mia’s legacy.
 
"I am so grateful to have received this award. The way Mia lived her life is such an inspiration, and I am beyond honoured to be recognized as someone who shares some of her qualities. The Gucci games are an amazing way to connect with a community that Mia cared so much about, and to carry on her legacy in a way we know she would have loved. I hope to one day live up to the impact Mia left on those around her.” —Scarlett McNeely, women’s soccer 
 
Two students sitting side by side outside smiling.

Inaugural Black Student Leadership Award

The Black Student Leadership Award is a donor-funded initiative for continuing undergraduate students who self-identify as Black. The award was developed in collaboration with the UVic Scarborough Charter Steering Committee, which works to increase visibility and support for Black communities.

UVic donors to the Pathways to Student Success Fund made this new award possible. In its inaugural 2025/26 year, 10 awards of $7,500 each were granted. The initiative will expand next year to include the Black Student Leadership Entrance Award, of $5,000 each, demonstrating the meaningful impact created by a community of donors coming together.

A woman standing in front of a digital image of a tree on a digital billboard in New York City's Times Square.

Installation reminds us how we're all connected

MFA grad Eeman Masood received several donor-funded awards, including the Jeffrey Rubinoff Graduate Scholarship, the Jessie Allan Forsyth Scholarship, the Asper Scholarship in Film and Video Arts, the Herbert Bertram Falkenstein Graduate Scholarship in Fine Art and the Canwest Global Scholarship in Video Arts.

Shortly after graduating, her work was chosen for the world's largest and longest-running digital public art program. For the month of February, 2026, her hand-painted animation of a banyan tree spread nature and calm across chaotic Times Square in New York.

“I am deeply grateful to all the donors who supported me during my MFA studies. As an international student, it’s very challenging to manage living expenses while producing work and investing in materials: these awards gave me financial relief, allowing me to focus fully on my creative practice without constant stress. Beyond the practical support, it felt encouraging to know people believed in what I was doing. I honestly couldn’t have completed my projects without their support.”—Eeman Masood

Giving across the university

31%

to student awards

27%

to research

33%

to programs

5%

to libraries

4%

to other university initiatives

Numbers calculated from new donor commitments in fiscal year: April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. For funds received, see the Audited Financial Statements.
A woman wearing glasses and a woven Indigenous hat smiling.

In my role as Acting President I’ve seen how gifts across the breadth of the university are helping us move forward to a shared vision. More than the gift itself, it’s the act of coming together—creating that shared future—which gives me hope. Your partnership is deeply valued, and I raise my hands to all of you for standing with us in our work.

 

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