Since its founding in 1925, WARF has served the University of Wisconsin-Madison scientific community by patenting the discoveries of UW-Madison researchers and licensing these technologies to leading companies in Wisconsin, the United States and worldwide. In this way, WARF also facilitates the use of UW-Madison research for the maximum benefit of society.

WARF distributes the income from commercial licenses to the UW-Madison, the inventors and their departments. Each year, WARF contributes over $45 million to fund additional UW-Madison research. The university refers to WARF's annual gifts as its "margin of excellence" funding.