Funding by Area
College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences
Elevate the next generation of innovators
In the College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences (CEFNS), students explore the complexities of the natural world while preparing to lead in fields critical to the planet’s future—from environmental systems and data science to chemistry, physics, astronomy, mathematics, biomedical research, and conservation.
Whether you choose to support scholarships, endowed faculty, or another area close to your heart, your investment fuels discovery, fosters opportunity, and prepares students to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges.
Elevate Access for students
Scholarships
Fundraising goal: $50,000
Every student deserves access to an excellent education—but for many, cost remains the greatest barrier. At NAU, 97 percent of students receive financial aid, ensuring that cost never stands in the way of ambition. A gift of $50,000 supports one student for a academic year; $500,000 supports ten. Your generosity opens doors and gives students the freedom to focus on learning.
Elevate Access for students
STEM Bootcamps
$50,000 per camp
Held each summer, STEM Bootcamps immerse biology, chemistry, and astronomy students in lab work, research, and scientific collaboration through short, faculty-led projects. The program builds confidence, skills, and a sense of belonging— resulting in higher GPAs and a 6 percent increase in accepted student enrollment rates. Your investment will cover room, board, instructional stipends, materials, and travel to local field sites, while also enabling us to expand this transformative opportunity to additional disciplines, including physics.
Elevate academic excellence
Field-Based Experiential Learning
Fundraising goal: $6 million
Across four distinctive sites—the 300-acre Hat Ranch, the 240-acre Centennial Forest, the Merriam-Powell Research Station, and the iconic Meteor Crater—NAU students step out of the classroom and into living laboratories. Here, they gain firsthand experience in sustainability, land management, and science communication while working alongside expert faculty. Your investment will open these opportunities to more students and secure permanent support for immersive, field-based learning that prepares graduates to lead in the sciences.
Elevate academic excellence
Dean’s Distinguished Research Fellows
Fundraising goal: $9 million
This competitive fellowship is the CEFNS’s premier undergraduate summer research experience, supporting students as they design and conduct original research in close collaboration with faculty mentors. Funding covers student stipends, research materials, travel, and conference presentations, ensuring students from all backgrounds can participate. Your investment fosters curiosity, skillbuilding, and mentorship that sets students on a path to successful careers in STEM.
Elevate Academic excellence
Name the School of Earth and Sustainability
Fundraising goal: $12 million
The School of Earth and Sustainability trains the next generation of environmental scientists, geologists, and sustainability leaders. Through hands-on research in water resources, biodiversity conservation, geologic hazards, climate policy, and
environmental science, students gain the tools to address the defining challenges of our time. A naming gift would expand interdisciplinary research in climate, sustainability, and earth science and amplify our impact on environmental solutions across the region and beyond.
Elevate Academic excellence
Name the School of Forestry
Fundraising goal: $12 million
NAU’s School of Forestry is a national leader in ecological restoration, wildfire science, and sustainable forest management. With bachelor’s degrees accredited by the Society of American Foresters, the School of Forestry prepares students to address today’s complex environmental challenges to help shape the future of forests and the people who depend on them.
Our graduates are equipped to evaluate the environmental, economic, and societal impacts of forest stewardship strategies and to lead solutions that balance conservation with human needs.
A naming investment will expand hands-on field learning, accelerate faculty research, and strengthen partnerships with Tribal, federal, private, and nonprofit organizations, ensuring the school continues to shape the future of forests and the people who depend on them.
Elevate faculty impact
Endowed Faculty
Fundraising goal: $500,000
Exceptional students need exceptional faculty. Your investment in endowed positions helps the CEFNS recruit and retain accomplished teacherscholars who inspire students, build meaningful community partnerships, and generate research that informs real change.
Elevate the campus experience
Biological Collections
Fundraising goal: $1 to $2 million
With more than 400,000 specimens, NAU’s biological collections—Deaver Herbarium, the Vertebrate Museum, and the Arthropod and Invertebrate Collection—serve as a living archive of biodiversity and environmental change. These collections have enriched the education of over 110,000 students, fueled more than $4.7 million in research, and contributed to scientific discovery around the world. They are vital resources for student learning, faculty research, and global collaboration. Your investment will help preserve and digitize these collections and expand access for teaching and research.
Elevate the campus experience
Biological Sciences Teaching Labs
Fundraising goal: $8 million
Every year, thousands of NAU students get their first real taste of discovery in our biology teaching labs. With more than 50 introductory labs running each semester, students from across the CEFNS are able to engage in hands-on science. To keep pace with demand and deliver the highest-quality education, these spaces need critical upgrades. Your investment will transform them into state-of-the-art learning environments, preparing students to excel in the classroom, in the field, and in their careers
Stories of impact
View all
A future water leader takes root at NAU
Fueled lived experience, passion, and scholarship support, Makayla Harmon-McIntosh is building a future in water policy.
NAU Sisk Fellow Shawna Woody honors heritage through conservation
The inaugural Sisk Fellow explores how bison grazing impacts native plants and pollinators at the Grand Canyon.
Growing impact through a secret garden
What was originally an abandoned and overgrown space was transformed into a secluded oasis.