Our Crowdfunding Groups
Although this fundraiser has concluded, you can make a donation to the Fanny Ruth Patterson Scholarship by visiting foundation.myniu.com and typing "Fanny Ruth Patterson" into the "designation" field.
Thank you for your interest in supporting the Black Alumni Council's (BAC) fundraising efforts for the Fanny Ruth Patterson Scholarship!
Last year, this community came together to close to $34,000 dollars for the fund, $10,000 of which was awarded directly to students, and the remaining $20,000 going to the scholarship's endowment to make progress toward funding the scholarship in perpetuity.
This year, the Black Alumni Council has a goal of raising $23,000, with $10,000 to be awarded directly to students and any funding above and beyond going toward the endowment.
Fanny Ruth Patterson was the first black student to graduate from NIU. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1915 and was known as a brave innovator at Northern Illinois University. After graduating, Fanny taught school for several years until succumbing to tuberculosis. This scholarship has been established by the Black Alumni Council to honor Fanny for her role in blazing a trail for other Black or African American students to follow at Northern Illinois University. You can learn more about her legacy here.
The purpose of the Fanny Ruth Patterson Scholarship is to promote the educational benefits that derive from a diverse student body. The Fund will provide scholarship support for deserving students who have a minimum of 70 credit hours, 2.5 GPA or greater, been active in campus affairs, and embodied the spirit of Fanny Ruth Patterson. Read more about last year's recipients here.
More than $100,000 have been provided to students through the Fanny Ruth Patterson Scholarship since 1988. Donate today to help continue that legacy!
Annual Organization Competition Results:
2022 - ΑΦΑ - Ε ($6,140)
2023 Scoreboard:
Organization Name | Total Gifts | Total Fundraised |
| Association of Black Journalists | ||
| B.R.O.T.H.E.R.S. | ||
| Black Male Initiative | 3 | $169.11 |
| Black Student Union | 2 | $270 |
| Center for Black Studies | 1 | $100 |
| CHANCE | 10 | $1,650 |
| College of Business Mentors | 2 | $100 |
| EBONY Women | ||
| John Henrik Clarke Honor Society | ||
| Liberated Minds Organization | ||
| NAACP | ||
| Northern Black Choir | 2 | $150 |
| Present Perfect Modeling Organization | 1 | $50 |
| REAL Girls | ||
| S.I.S.T.E.R.S. | 1 | $100 |
| Society of Black Engineers | ||
| AKA - ΔΟ | 5 | $800 |
| ΑΦΑ - ΕΦ | 55 | $6,837.47 |
| ΔΣΘ - ZI | 7 | $933.9 |
| ΙΦΘ - BN | 1 | $100 |
| ΚΑΨ - ΕΟ | 82 | $5,879.43 |
| ΩΨΦ - IΔ | 3 | $150 |
| ΦΒΣ - EΓ | 7 | $450 |
| ΦΡΗ - Z | ||
| ΣΓΡ - ZN | ||
| ΖΦΒ - ΗΔ | 8 | $2,819.2 |
| Misc. | 16 | $2,491 |
Updated on 1/2/24 at 8:30 a.m. CT
Interested in making your donation in person, via mail, or in another form? Learn more here.
Help support the Fanny Ruth Patterson Scholarship with a gift of $50.
Help support the Fanny Ruth Patterson Scholarship with a gift of $100.
Help support the Fanny Ruth Patterson Scholarship with a gift of $250.
Help support the Fanny Ruth Patterson Scholarship with a gift of $500.
