Edinboro University Foundation

Fueling Academic Success Through Thoughtful Stewardship

The Edinboro University Foundation, founded in 1998, is dedicated to supporting the mission of PennWest University with a specific focus on the Edinboro campus. We carefully cultivate and manage gifts, grants, and other resources for the benefit of our students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community. Our vision goes far beyond receiving donations: we are dedicated to thoughtfully directing your investments towards high-impact initiatives, removing financial barriers, and ensuring every student has the resources to focus on their academic goals and thrive in their chosen fields. 

Your support helps define "The Boro" experience and helps shape the bright futures of our Fighting Scots!

The Edinboro Highland Games Fund

Choose to have your Erie Gives Day gift supports the Edinboro Highland Games Fund. This fund helps provide Scottish cultural enrichment programs to students and the Edinboro community. Help us preserve and celebrate our campus’ heritage by making your gift to the Edinboro University Foundation today!   

The Alumni Student Retention Fund

Choose to have your Erie Gives Day gift supports the Alumni Student Retention Fund. This fund helps students stay enrolled when all other financial aid options have been exhausted. Help a Fighting Scot finish their degree by making your gift to the Edinboro University Foundation today!

32nd Annual Edinboro Highland Games & Scottish Festival

On September 11-12, 2026, PennWest Edinboro will host its 32nd annual Highland Games & Scottish Festival. This vibrant, multi-day celebration of Scottish culture will feature world-class musicians, Celtic vendors, traditional Scottish food, athletic feats, and family-friendly fun across campus.

The first Edinboro Highland Games and Scottish Festival was held in April 1993, after eight months of planning in Dr. Tim Thompson’s communication classes. On a day featuring typical Scottish weather, a crowd of five hundred enjoyed two pipe bands, one vendor, kids’ games, and student athletic competitions.

Crowds of five thousand or more now enjoy the annual games that feature an array of competitions, world-class musicians, fine gift vendors, and the gathering of Scottish clans. Musicians including master fiddlers Alasdair Fraser and Bonnie Rideout, the piper Eric Rigler of Braveheart fame, singer Ed Miller, and groups such as Cherish the Ladies, Seven Nations and the Chelsea House Orchestra have thrilled audiences across twenty years. In 2003, the Downtown Edinboro Art and Music Festival was born as part of the Edinboro Highland Games. While the Scottish Festival has since moved to a September date, the Art & Music Festival continues to thrive as a wonderful tradition each May. The Edinboro Games now hold sanctioned competitions in professional and amateur heavy athletics, pipe band and solo piping and drumming, highland dance, Celtic and Scottish harp, and the U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championships. Along with delicious Scottish and festival foods and family gatherings, the Edinboro Highland Games have grown into one of the most unique and interesting cultural events in the Erie-Chautauqua region.

Click here to learn more, see the 2026 schedule, and plan your visit: 32nd Annual Edinboro Highland Games & Scottish Festival

Thank You! #GoBoro