The Northwestern University Dance Marathon, commonly known as NUDM, is a philanthropic dance marathon held every March at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1975, NUDM is one of the nation's most established and largest entirely student-run philanthropies. NUDM is one of the only annual Dance Marathons in the country to continually change its primary beneficiary. NUDM has raised over $23 million for its beneficiaries in its 50-year history, CIS is a nonprofit organization that works to ensure that each and every public school student in Chicago graduates high school prepared for success. CIS believes that dropping out of school is a continuous process, not a single event— and so they strive to connect students to mentors and resources to end that process.

2018

In 2018, NUDM raised $1,175,709.82 for Cradles to Crayons and the Evanston Community Foundation. Cradles to Crayons provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive – at home, at school and at play. To further Cradles to Crayons’ cause, NUDM celebrated a yearlong philanthropic effort to connect communities and enable childhood dreams.

2017

In May 2016, GiGi's Playhouse was announced as the primary beneficiary for NUDM 2017. GiGi's Playhouse is a nationwide network of Down syndrome achievement centers that impacts the lives of children and adults with Down syndrome through free educational and therapeutic programs. Through its partnership with GiGi's, NUDM hopes to improve the lives of individuals with Down syndrome and simultaneously share a message of global acceptance for people of all abilities.

For the 20th consecutive year, the Evanston Community Foundation was announced as NUDM 2017's secondary beneficiary to honor the close relationship between Northwestern University and the city of Evanston.

2016

NUDM 2016 raised $1,201,216.24 for Blessings in a Backpack, a leading childhood hunger organization that mobilizes communities, individuals and resources to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America. NUDM fed more than 9,400 elementary schoolers that come from food insecure homes and made a direct impact on hunger in the Evanston and Chicago area, through both the expansion of programs at existing schools and the initiation of programs at new schools around the country.

In 2016, NUDM also introduced a service program, offering students the chance to make a non-monetary impact by volunteering their time in the community with the beneficiaries. The organization also vastly expanded fundraising and monetization opportunities during the actual 30-hour event, introduced new fundraising and hour-club incentives for dancers, created new sponsorship naming rights, and added half a dozen new special events.

2015

In 2015, NUDM raised $1,130,979 for Starlight Children's Foundation, a global organization that supports critically and chronically ill children and their families from hospital to home. This money supported the creation of 11 "Starlight Sites," beautifully designed pediatric treatment rooms and playrooms reaching nearly 477,865 children in just one year.

2014

For its 40th year, NUDM supported Team Joseph, raising a record-breaking $1,385,273 to fund research to find a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. This remains the highest total ever raised for the event.

History

Fifty years ago, Dance Marathon, the philanthropic child of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and the Associated Student Government, was born on the Northwestern University campus. and NU alumni David Schwimmer, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert and Mike Greenberg. Chicago celebrities, like former mayor Jane Byrne and Chicago Bears players Mike Tomczak, Keith Van Horne and Trace Armstrong, have also danced.

List of NUDM Primary Beneficiaries

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! scope="col" | Year !! scope="col" | Beneficiary !! scope="col" | Total Raised (USD)

!Primary Beneficiary Check (USD)

|-

!2024

|Ronald McDonald House Charities- Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana

|$342,138

|$264,067

|-

!2023

|Little Heroes League

|$434,455

|$288,191

|-

!2022

|Chicago Youth Programs

|$580,778

|$403,551

|-

! scope="row" | 2021

| Compass to Care||$674,375

|TBD

|-

! scope="row" | 2020

| Children's Home & Aid||$1,029,366

|$903,787

|-

! scope="row" | 2019

| Communities In Schools of Chicago||$1,144,515

|$911,861

|-

! scope="row" | 2018

| Cradles to Crayons || $1,175,709

|$942,793

|-

! scope="row" | 2017

|GiGi's Playhouse|| $1,253,596

|$983,833

|-

! scope="row" | 2016

|Blessings in a Backpack|| $1,201,216

|$965,057

|-

! scope="row" | 2015

| Starlight Children’s Foundation|| $1,130,979

|$863,490

|-

! scope="row" | 2014

| Team Joseph || $1,385,273

|$931,289

|-

! scope="row" | 2013

| The Danny Did Foundation || $1,214,632

|$741,394

|-

! scope="row" | 2012

| The Andrew McDonough B+ (Be Positive) Foundation || $1,107,670

|$717,770

|-

! scope="row" | 2011

| Children's Heart Foundation|| $1,019,130

|$632,689

|-

! scope="row" | 2010

| StandUp for Kids || $854,396

|$461,547

|-

! scope="row" | 2009

| Project Kindle || $917,834

|$576,470

|-

! scope="row" | 2008

| Bear Necessities || $933,855

|$590,000

|-

! scope="row" | 2007

| Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy || $708,711

|$423,028

|-

! scope="row" | 2006

| Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative (PACPI) || $686,377

|$400,048

|-

! scope="row" | 2005

| Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation || $625,131

|$374,004

|-

! scope="row" | 2004

| Have Dreams || $461,294

|$319,997

|-

! scope="row" | 2003

| Chicago Urban Youth Scholarship Fund || $462,613

|$300,723

|-

! scope="row" | 2002

| Little Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation (formerly known as Friends for Steven) || $492,000

|$380,000

|-

! scope="row" | 2001

| Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation || $540,257

|$393,172

|-

! scope="row" | 2000

| Gilda's Club Chicago || $537,645

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1999

| Children's Heart Foundation|| $450,833

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1998

| La Rabida Children's Hospital and Research Center || $431,524

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1997

| Hope for Gus Foundation || $405,563

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1996

| Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern Illinois || $315,143

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1995

| Pediatrics AIDS Ward of Children's Memorial Hospital (now Lurie Children's Hospital) || $301,023

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1994

| Leukemia Research Foundation || $250,258

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1993

| American Heart Association || $200,438

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1992

| American Diabetes Association || $273,000

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1990

| The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society || $136,300

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1989

| The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (formerly The Leukemia Society of America) || $112,628

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1988

| Howard Brown Health Center || $112,734

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1987

| Cystic Fibrosis Foundation || $112,628

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1986

| Easter Seals || $90,021

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1985

| United Cerebral Palsy || $86,242

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1984

| Easter Seals || $76,663

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1983

| Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation || $66,089

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1982

| National Multiple Sclerosis Society || $60,428

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1981

| Arthritis Foundation || $42,000

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1980

| Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago (formerly the Chicago Lung Association) || $33,100

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1979

| United Cerebral Palsy

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1976

| American Epilepsy Foundation and the National Association for Retarded Citizens || $9,573

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1975

| American Epilepsy Foundation and the National Association for Retarded Citizens || $9,105