In support of the Fraternity’s commitment to establishing itself as the premier leadership Fraternity in North America, the Phi Delta Theta Foundation launched the Building on the Bond Campaign. With a goal of $20 million, this most ambitious fundraising effort in Phi Delta Theta history was designed to build the financial resources necessary to make the Emerging Leaders Institute a reality.

At the 2018 biennial General Convention in San Antonio, the Phi Delta Theta Foundation announced that it had met the Building on the Bond Campaign goal two years early. This campaign successfully allowed for the expansion of what is now known as the Kleberg Emerging Leaders Institute from 280 men to over 1,000. It also saw the establishment of the Ihlenfeld Online University, commonly known as PDT U, which brings resources to all 14,000 of the Fraternity’s undergraduate members. There were also eighty-four new scholarships created, increasing scholarship support to over $240,000 annually.

The Building on the Bond Campaign had 440 donors over eight years who increased the Foundation endowment to over $20 million.