Got Exciting Research Cooking on Campus? Tell Rich Alums About It
A $92 million gift to Northwestern is another reminder that donors with an eye on their legacy can be especially jazzed about backing medical research that could lead to breakthroughs.
View ArticleBehind a Poetry Gift: Alumni Loyalty Still Matters, Even When a Funder Is...
A gift to Georgetown from J. Patrick Lannan and the Lannan Foundation reminds us that the literary arts still excite some funders, and that alumni loyalty matters, even as a philanthropist's grantees...
View ArticleWhy Donors Give Big for Campus Research: A $50 Million Case Study at USC
University gifts for biomedical research are coming faster and getting bigger. We look at how donors get excited about breakthroughs that could affect millions of lives, and other motivations at work.
View ArticleBack from Abroad: Why This Alumnus Gave Big To University of Illinois
Here's another group that should be considered on a officers' development prospect list: wealthy alums overseas. We dig in to a large gift from an engineering grad who helms a technology company based...
View ArticleThe Forces Behind a $57 Million Gift by an Alumni Couple
How about $57 million by a couple from the Class of '57? That has a certain ring to it. We dig in to what motivated this alumni couple to give big to their alma mater.
View ArticleMillions to Foster Social Entrepreneurship on a California Campus. Will More...
As social entrepreneurship gets hotter among students on college campuses, is more money set to flow to that area? Well, check out this $25 million alumni gift to Santa Clara University by a rich techie.
View ArticleThe Grateful Alumnus Strikes Again: Behind a Big Give to Bennington's Visual...
The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation is the latest funder to strike a blow for the liberal arts ideal on campus. This $5 million gift also underscores how some top artists left behind surprisingly large...
View ArticleWhat's Behind a Mystery Donor's $10 Million Gift to Princeton University?
Princeton has been working to set itself apart from other Ivys by investing heavily in the arts. A grateful alumnus just chipped in for this effort in the latest of a string of campus arts gifts we've...
View ArticleAnother Alumni Donor Bets Big on Brain Research
It's an innovative time in neuroscience, and some alumni donors are excited by what's going on. Here, we look at another gift for brain research, this time to the University of Texas.
View ArticleWhy This Venture Capitalist and His Wife Made a $50 Million Bet on Their Alma...
John Doerr has made a fortune with sharp bets in the tech world. Now he and wife are betting big on a new leadership center at Rice University, where they both got degrees. What are the key takeaways...
View ArticleHow This B-School Landed a Historic Gift
We look at a recent $100 million gift to UCLA's Anderson School of Management by the widow of its namesake, yet another instance of philanthropy playing a role when a school is hit by budget cuts.
View ArticleIt's All in the Family: Behind This Big Gift to the University of Miami
We dig into a large $55 millon gift to University of Miami by Stuart Miller and family. It's a story that involves multigenerational commitment to the school, and to the greater South Florida community.
View ArticleWhy This Alumnus Doubled Down on International Students at Dartmouth
We dig into the lessons of a Silicon Valley investor's $21 million gift to his alma mater, which doubles down on an earlier effort to help international youth become global leaders.
View ArticleWhy This Alum and His Wife Gave Big for a Unique Health Niche
We write often about how gratitude plays a huge role in philanthropy, both in the realm of higher education philanthropy and in health giving. Well, here's a case that brings those two areas together.
View ArticleA Mix of Tech and Sports: Behind Mark Cuban's $5 Million Gift to His Alma Mater
Before Mark Cuban was a shark on Shark Tank, or owner of the Dallas Mavs, the tech billionaire was a student at Indiana University. We dig into a recent gift by Cuban to the school, and the story...
View ArticleAnother Big Give for International Studies, This Time at Johns Hopkins
What's that? Aanother gift toward international studies? We dig into a recent Johns Hopkins gift at the alumnus and his wife behind it.
View ArticleHow An Anonymous Gift Spurred a Big Athletics Gift To a College
We often talk about how fundraising challenges can catalyze philanthropy. We dig into a recent example of this at College of the Holy Cross, and how one donor's gift influenced an alum and his wife to...
View ArticleWhen Big Gifts Go To Campus Scholarships, It's Worth Taking a Closer Look
Eight-figure donors don't often give for scholarships, which is why a $50 million scholarship gift to the University of Wisconsin caught our attention. We look at the donors involved and key takeaways.
View ArticleA Growing Niche in Alumni Giving: Nurturing Entrepreneurs on Campus
More business donors who remember their startup days are excited about fostering young entrepreneurs, and are making some big campus gifts. We dig into this trend.
View ArticleTiming Matters: About That $50 Million Gift Cornell Just Scored From an...
When the stars align perfectly, big donations can come to a school. That was the case with a recent give for biomedical engineering to Cornell. And there are other lessons in this one, too.
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