By James Irwin
Making History: The Campaign for GW has raised $771.9 million to support students, enhance academics and break new ground through research. In fiscal year 2015, the George Washington University raised $232.2 million, a 21 percent increase over the past year’s total, making it the largest fundraising year in the university’s 194-year history.
“We are extremely proud of our philanthropic results in FY15,” said Aristide Collins, vice president for development and alumni relations. “Clearly, Making History is having a tremendous impact on the life of our great university, benefiting our students and faculty, academics and research. The momentum we have achieved is enabling us to focus on unmet needs, ensuring that all of our schools and units will realize their campaign goals. We look forward to engaging an even broader spectrum of alumni, faculty and staff, and friends as the campaign proceeds.”
Growth in leadership giving, annual giving and undergraduate alumni donors bolstered the record-breaking fundraising total, as did the inclusion of assets from the university’s historic collaboration with the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Corcoran College of Art + Design and the National Gallery of Art, finalized last summer.
Leadership giving—transactions greater than $100,000—increased in 2015 with 200 gifts totaling $202.6 million; 23 of these transactions were $1 million or more. GW saw a 25 percent increase in annual giving from $12.2 million in 2014 to $15.3 million in 2015. Donations to student aid through the university’s Power & Promise Fund totaled $16.7 million.
Undergraduate alumni donors increased by more than 5 percent, to a new high of 7,419, which includes donations made through a record-breaking senior class gift campaign.
Gifts to endowment, which made up $30.4 million in donations last year, increased by 41.6 percent to $43 million.
The university raised $191.3 million in fiscal year 2014.
Funds raised through the campaign are helping advance GW into its third century, supporting students, enhancing academics and breaking new ground through research. Learn more about the impact of philanthropy and the people benefitting from the Campaign.