Founded in 1984, the UAB Benevolent Fund (BF) is the established, primary means of UAB employees supporting charitable efforts outside of UAB. The BF is UAB employees’ own blend of charitable giving. It combines typical workplace campaigns into one overall campaign, allowing employees to plan their charitable giving. The BF incorporates support of health and human service charities, including all United Way partner nonprofits and a variety of health-related charities along with our own Employee Emergency Assistance Program, Blazer Kitchen and UAB Habitat for Humanity Build. The BF contributed $41.3 million dollars to local non-profits in its first 39 years and $4.7 million to UAB employees through the Employee Emergency Assistance Program. In its first 7 years, Blazer Kitchen received $652,000.

Yes. Contributions to the UAB Benevolent Fund are tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulations. In late January or early February, UAB payroll employees will receive an email from UAB Gift Records thanking you for your contribution during the previous calendar year and providing instructions on how to access your UAB giving statement. Donors who are not UAB payroll employees will receive a statement via US mail that will serve as your tax receipt.

UAB Gift Records issues all UAB gift statements, including donations to the UAB Benevolent Fund. If it is past January 31, please contact UAB Gift Records at 205-934-7242, or UAB payroll employees may visit uab.edu/annualreceipts. Login using your Blazer ID and password to access your giving summary. If you have difficulty printing from your browser, you can save the file and then print. 

Contributions to the UAB Benevolent Fund are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. The option to give through payroll deduction is for convenience but does not allow for contributions to be taken from pre-tax earnings. 

The Benevolent Fund is an important part of UAB’s Community Engagement Pillar and a leader in forging community partnerships. UAB is a part of the Greater Birmingham community, and it is in UAB's interest to help the area grow and prosper. UAB receives a great deal of support from the community and pays back some of that support through its charitable giving program. The UAB Faculty and Staff Benevolent Fund was established to provide UAB employees with the opportunity to channel their combined resources into a single, annual fundraising campaign that would provide a multitude of services through one gift. It is a way to pool the contributions of thousands of employees to make a real difference by supporting worthy health and human service non-profits, as well as its own employees in times of need.

As a public, state-supported, non-profit institution, the University of Alabama at Birmingham cannot legally establish a pool of "corporate dollars" from which to make donations to charitable organizations. Like the nonprofits and individuals who benefit from the fund, the university depends on you as an employee to share in the institution's commitment to charitable giving.

There are many ways to help. Here are just a few examples:

• You can donate to the Benevolent Fund
• Volunteer for Benevolent Fund service projects, including our Habitat for Humanity Build, where we have an opportunity to partner with a nonprofit we support and see firsthand our dollars at work
• Make suggestions regarding improvements in the operations of the Benevolent Fund. 
• Volunteer your time to assist in our annual fundraising campaign
• Nominate yourself or someone else to serve on the Benevolent Fund Council

The community as a whole tends to experience similar issues. UAB is no exception to challenges that face our economy. As UAB employees, we continue working for a growing, prosperous institution. We are luckier than many. We have jobs, steady incomes and a good benefits package. Importantly, charitable giving is a philosophy, an acknowledgement of the human commitment to help others. The greatest proof of our concern for others is a renewed commitment when it is a little harder for us to give. The social service programs we support have an increased demand for services during difficult economic times. Their continued and increased service to the community is critical in difficult economic conditions.

UAB, as a corporate entity, is proud of its employees' record of giving to the community. As the largest employer in the state, it is important that other organizations in the Birmingham area see UAB setting an excellent example of responding to the needs of the community. As an institution, UAB must stand as a participant in community affairs. Every employee is encouraged to participate as an individual. Your spouse is giving based on his or her employment, and we are asking that you do the same by making a contribution through the Benevolent Fund.