The University Christian Foundation began as a Protestant outreach organization in the early years of the twentieth century. Officially founded on October 24, 1906, as the Student's Club of the Young Men's Christian Association, the organization's stated purpose was "to promote and maintain the highest standard of religious, moral, social and intellectual life" on New York University's Washington Square campus. It offered weekly Bible study classes, organized informal dinners to which guest speakers were invited, and rented out the gymnasium at Judson Memorial Church on Washington Square South for its members' use.

In the autumn of 1927, the Students' Club was renamed to the University Christian Association and reorganized to include women. The organization continued to offer Bible study classes, hold meetings and organize socials for its members. A freshman camp was also instituted at this time to help incoming students bridge the gap between high school and college. The Association was housed on two floors at 26 Washington Place for some time, but eventually moved to Judson Memorial Church on Washington Square South. In 1939 the Association moved once more to newly renovated offices at 2 Washington Square North, which it shared with the Roman Catholic Newman Club and the Jewish Society, a precursor of the Jewish Cultural Foundation. The new headquarters consisted of three offices, a shared lounge and a large common kitchen. Custodial care was provided by NYU.

Reevaluation of the organization by the National Council of Churches in the late 1950s resulted in the creation of the University Christian Foundation in 1961. Although the original mission of the religoius organization remained largely unchanged, a greater focus was placed on secular considerations. Advancement of the civil rights movement in the United States and escalation of the war in Vietnam had a great effect on the organization and its activities. Three full-tine chaplains were hired to counsel UCF members not only in matters of faith, but also on the draft, involvement in anti-war protests, civil rights on campus, and reproductive rights of women. The UCF also established at this time the first dormitory on Washington Square campus to admit Asian and African-American students.

During this decade, national support of local campus ministries began to wane, and staffing was cut drastically. By 1972 the UCF had no full-time chaplain; services were administered by volunteers and part-time seminary students. In 1975 Pamela Bolen was appointed lay executive director of the organization. Under Bolen's direction, the organization became more involved in global issues and campaigns, including those led by the World Hunger Coalition, the United Farm Workers Association and black South Africans struggling to end apartheid. In August of 1976, the UCF and its Women's Center were moved by the University to 21 Washington Place, Room 802. The Board of Directors voted to suspend operations of the UCF on November 30, 1977, due to a lack of funding and drop in student participation. The corporation was kept alive for future student needs, but the Board held its last annual meeting in the Spring of 1977.

The Interfaith Council was a faculty-staff body maintaining correspondence among the campus ministries of Catholics, Jews, and Protestants. Its predecessor, the Interfaith Committee, oversaw the ministries' shared quarters at 2 Washington Square North in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1967 the Council of the University proposed the establishment of a Committee on Faith and Life at NYU under the Office of Student Affairs, and relieved the Interfaith Committee of its responsibility as a standing committee of the University. Reference is made to the Interfaith Committee and Interfaith Council throughout the UCF collection. The Ecumenical Foundation, another organization referred to in this collection, was organized in the late 1960s by several national church organizations to support campus ministries with staff, programs and funding. Its connection with the UCF lasted only a few years; the UCF severing ties in 1974. OASIS, Overseas & American Students' International Society, succeeded the YMCA and UCF in providing outreach to NYU's foreign students. Material concerning OASIS can also be found among the UCF collection.