Through award-winning leadership programs, academic scholarships, direct chapter-based support and much more, the Sigma Chi Foundation provides several direct opportunities for a Sigma Chi alumnus, sweetheart or friend to make an impact on the present and future members of the organization.
See below for a list of ways you can show your support of Sigma Chi through the Foundation.
To connect with the Foundation’s development officer in your region email us at foundation@sigmachi.org.
Since 2018, Sigma Chi has focused on equipping members with skills to lead their chapters effectively and excel in their post-college careers through The Transformational Leader™ program.
Designed to develop essential leadership abilities in undergraduate brothers, the program cultivates skills such as critical thinking, effective communication, problem-solving, and team-building—equipping them to lead chapters and thrive in future workplaces. By offering leadership certificates as stackable credentials and digital badges as career marketing tools, this innovative approach has enabled Sigma Chi to redefine the interfraternal experience by offering an immersive, organic leadership development curriculum tailored to its members.
To further support and elevate our undergraduate chapters and our leaders of tomorrow, Sigma Chi is committed to providing annual academic and leadership development scholarships to deserving members.
The Thomas Cowan Bell Chapter Challenge invites alumni to endow (or annually support) their chapters with top-tier educational resources, empowering future Sigma Chi leaders to make a lasting impact on campuses and in communities.
Your tax-deductible gift—whether one-time, monthly, or annual—helps ensure your chapter’s vitality and supports its ongoing success for generations to come.
Since 1939, Sigma Chi alumni, sweethearts, and friends across North America and beyond have united each year to address the Fraternity’s greatest needs—and those of its members—through the Sigma Chi Annual Fund.
With every one-time, monthly recurring, or annual gift, your generous, tax-deductible support empowers the Sigma Chi Foundation to fuel vital initiatives, from academic scholarships that ease the burden of rising tuition costs to the transformative Transformational Leader program that shapes tomorrow’s leaders.
Together, we honor our legacy and invest in the future of our brotherhood!
Each year, your generosity enables the Sigma Chi Foundation to award hundreds of academic scholarships and honors to deserving undergraduate and graduate brothers. These awards advance our mission to promote academic excellence and recognize those who demonstrate exceptional leadership, scholastic achievement, and commitment to their chapters and campuses.
On average, the Foundation provides more than $500,000 in academic scholarships annually. Through our Donor-Scholar Awards, alumni have the opportunity to create a lasting legacy by endowing a scholarship in their own name—or in honor of another Brother. A one-time gift of $52,000 establishes an endowment that funds an annual $2,000 scholarship for at least 30 years.
To learn more about our scholarship programs, click here.
Among the Sigma Chi Foundation’s key goals is ensuring that every undergraduate brother, every year, benefits from values-based leadership development training and support.
Thanks to the Foundation and the generosity of its donors, Sigma Chi has developed world-class leadership programming over the past two decades, setting the standard within the Greek-letter world through the work of the Sigma Chi Leadership Institute (SCLI).
In July 2022, after more than five years of effort and a groundbreaking financial commitment from donors, SCLI became the first Greek-affiliated organization to achieve institutional accreditation from an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Today, through Sigma Chi’s Transformational Leader™ program, members experience a leadership development journey that equips them with the skills and competencies to excel both as undergraduates and as emerging professionals.
Courses within the Transformational Leader program are delivered through Sigma Chi Online and at hallmark leadership experiences such as Krach Transformational Leaders Workshop, Horizons Huntsman Leadership Summit, regional province conferences, and chapter-based retreats.
Learn more about the award-winning Sigma Chi Leadership Institute at scli.org and The Transformational Leader program at leaders.sigmachi.org.
A planned gift to the Sigma Chi Foundation enables a brother to define their legacy and directly impact the lives of future Sigma Chis and our Fraternity.
Why are planned gifts so important?
Our strategic plan envisions a $100 million endowment that will expand our Transformational Leader™ programming and academic scholarships across every undergraduate chapter. While we are making great progress, planned gifts will be vital to our ultimate success.
By including Sigma Chi in your estate plan, you will help us achieve our goal and, at the same time, enjoy practical advantages for your estate and heirs.
The Sigma Chi Foundation is eligible for all company matched gifts made to 501 (c) (3) foundations. Please check with your employer to see if you can double the size of your gift!
Click here to learn more about our Corporate Matching program.
BROTHERS HELPING BROTHERS
Sigma Chi’s Brothers Helping Brothers Fund supports brothers who have lost employment or been displaced from academic institutions due to disasters or global pandemics in the form of academic scholarships or educational support.
While this fund has historically provided scholarship support during a time of emergency, during this COVID-19 crisis, we will expand the availability of this fund to assisting with short-term housing and other burdens associated with dislocation.
Since its inception following Hurricane Katrina, the Brothers Helping Brothers Fund has provided assistance to our young men in need. While we receive requests for scholarship assistance from this fund on a regular basis, we are expecting this number to vastly increase due to the changes impacting the lives of our brothers on campuses across North America and we know that we cannot meet all needs that will exist, but we can be a part of the solution.
HISTORICAL INITIATIVE
Founded in 2005 by Grand Historian Eric Hansen, CINCINNATI 1989, and members of the Fraternity’s Historical Commission with a grant from the Sigma Chi Foundation, the Historical Initiative oversees the care and preservation of the Fraternity’s historical collection including the Chuck and Kim Watson Museum of Sigma Chi and the monuments and memorials of our Fraternity. It is estimated that the various collections hold nearly 250,000 documents, images, and three-dimensional artifacts.
A significant way to support Sigma Chi’s historical initiative, leadership and scholarship efforts is to provide a naming and sponsorship level gift. Opportunities include exhibits and artifacts within the Chuck and Kim Watson Museum of Sigma Chi, archival preservation efforts and displays at the newly renovated Sigma Chi Founding Site in Oxford, Ohio.
MEMORIAL GIFTS
You may wish to direct memorial gifts to the Sigma Chi Foundation to honor the memory of a deceased brother. Unrestricted gifts will be applied to the area of greatest need to support educational and leadership development opportunities for undergraduate members. Gifts may also be directed to a specific chapter or program fund.
The Sigma Chi Foundation is a 501 (c) (3), charitable, educational organization and gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law.
Following is suggested language that may be used in an obituary to direct gifts to the Sigma Chi Foundation on behalf of a brother who enters the Chapter Eternal: Contributions may be made to the Sigma Chi Foundation, 1714 Hinman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201.
The official wine of Sigma Chi benefitting the Fraternity and academic scholarships provided by the Sigma Chi Foundation, proceeds from every 1855 Club membership or individual purchase directly impact our mission to support our undergraduate brothers.
Today, there are millions of bottles of wine being stored in personal cellars and storage facilities. Often, wine enthusiasts are focused on accumulating wine and many collections include more than any person or their heirs could consume in a lifetime. These collections are not considered during estate planning or when making charitable contributions. Now, through The Legacy Cellar Foundation, donors can directly convert their wine into a significant charitable legacy benefiting Sigma Chi members for decades to come.
