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UTSA Launching Crowdfunding Site For Research And Student Projects

University of Texas at San Antonio

The University of Texas at San Antonio is launching its own crowdfunding website and UTSA Chief Communications Officer Joe Izbrand said it is likely the first university in the state to do so.

UTSA is taking the online individual-donor approach used on platforms like Kickstarter and GoFundMe to fund some of its own projects. 

“We consider crowdfunding to be the ultimate in donor-centric giving because people can support their particular interests or passions directly and then they’ll be able to see impact immediately," Izbrand said. "Lots of small gifts will make a meaningful difference.”

The concept for the school’s crowdfunding mechanism is nearly finished and ideas of what could be it’s first projects are being collected.

“That includes initiatives in research, for scholarships, for study abroad programs -- anything that has the potential to give our students and researchers exceptional opportunities,” Izbrand said.

The project is called LaunchUTSA and is expected to be live in the next several months. Other universities such as Tulane and the University of Utah have utilized existing crowdfunding platforms to raise money for projects.

Joey Palacios can be reached atJoey@TPR.org and on Twitter at @Joeycules