University Overview
Fundraising: Surpassing a $1 Billion Goal
The University’s most ambitious fundraising effort ever eclipsed its $1 billion goal and realized its most successful year of fundraising in 2015. More than 206,000 donors helped The Campaign for Washington State University: Because the World Needs Big Ideas surpass its goal six months ahead of schedule on its way to reaching nearly $1.1 billion in total private support. WSU donors committed more than $166 million during fiscal year 2015.
The five largest commitments in WSU history were made during the campaign, including gifts of $26 million and $25 million from Paul G. Allen and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, respectively, to support international research, teaching, and outreach and to fund construction of WSU’s Center for Global Animal Health. Washington’s tree fruit industry made commitments totaling more than $32 million to endow several new faculty positions and create endowments to accelerate tree fruit research activities and industry outreach at WSU.
Support for students and access to higher education was a top campaign priority, with more than $154 million raised for endowed and current-use scholarships and graduate fellowships. Nearly $171 million was designated to create 645 new endowments, including 444 new endowed scholarships and graduate fellowships.