Donors show commitment to student-focused priorities in FY 2026

Donors show commitment to student-focused priorities in FY 2026

Donors demonstrated a continued commitment to student success at East Carolina University in fiscal year 2026, contributing more than $78.7 million in philanthropic support to student-focused priorities.

Fiscal year donations supporting academics demonstrated the goodwill of more than 6,700 benefactors, who made more than 16,800 contributions. The fundraising total includes $28.5 million for main campus priorities, $19.8 million for ECU Athletics and $30.3 million - through the ECU Health Foundation - for health sciences and healthcare priorities.

"Incredible Pirates have committed their resources to support this university and our students," Chancellor Philip Rogers said. "Because of their generosity, we are better able to achieve our mission and provide students the best opportunities to succeed."

Scholarship support remains the university's number one philanthropic priority for student success. Donors gave $15.5 million to endowments or annually funded academic scholarships. Athletics received $7 million for athletic scholarships. Ongoing contributions have created new scholarships for incoming students and increased scholarship opportunities for students across academic and athletic disciplines.

"Fundraising for scholarships is one of the most important ways we can invest in the future of ECU," Rogers said. "Donors who are investing in scholarships are creating immediate impact. Scholarships ease financial burden and pave the way for students to enroll, succeed, graduate on time, and then step into meaningful careers."

Support for the Chancellor's Scholars initiative created opportunities for 75 incoming freshmen this past fall. The program provides four-year renewable scholarships of $2,500. More than $1.9 million was raised for the initiative from a combination of endowed and annually funded scholarships during the fiscal year.

A catalyst of the initiative's growth in 2026 was an allocation from the ECU Foundation, which matched each gift of $31,250, or multiples thereof, to create fully funded Chancellor's Scholars endowments. The university's goal is to have all 300 endowed by June 2028.

Milestone Fundraising Day

ECU's 10th Pirate Nation Gives (PNG) brought a midyear boost to fundraising. Tremendous support from alumni and supporters from around the world made the university's milestone annual day of giving a historic success. More than 2,800 donors gave more than $12.2 million, making the 10th PNG the most successful of the decade.

More than 700 donors gave for the first time during PNG, 30% of donors were ECU alumni while faculty and staff represented 22% of the day's donors. Hundreds of students, representing 25% of the day's donors, got involved in the day through philanthropy and events across campus.

Notable gifts during the fiscal year included:

• A $1 million award from the Golden LEAF Foundation investing in state-of-the-art technology in the Brody Center for Medical Education in ECU's Brody School of Medicine.
• A $156,250 gift to establish five MrBeast Chancellor's Scholar endowments.
• A first-time $469,999 award from the T. Grant Foundation funding research in the College of Education, where professors are investigating how educators' identities and values shape classroom instruction and how these factors influence students' sense of belonging, engagement and overall well-being.
• Gordon and Kim Darragh's legacy gift to the Pirate Club in support of the women's basketball program. Their investment will directly enhance all facets of the program.
• Creation of the endowed Grace Marie Hudson Brown Memorial Patient Care Fund in the School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Benjamin Brown established the fund to honor his late wife. The fund is the 23rd unique fund in the Patient Care program, which helps support the cost of oral healthcare for those who need it.
• $50,000 from Fidisoa "Fidy" Rasambainarivo, a Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences assistant professor in the Department of Biology, to create a research fund for biology. The gift places Rasambainarivo in the top 20 of faculty and staff donors at ECU.

Athletic Priorities

ECU Athletics and the Pirate Club raised more than $19.8 million in support of student-athletes and the spaces where they train and perform. The Athletics Excellence Fund (revenue sharing) had 600 unique donors.

Multiple donor-funded projects are nearing completion on the Athletics campus. The Isley Indoor Performance Center, the Dick and Sarah Bennett Baseball Building and the Varner Family ECU Golf Facility at Ironwood are expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

Athletics and the Pirate Club honored longtime staff member Matt Maloney, known to Pirate Nation as "Big Guy," by establishing an endowment and postgraduate fellowship within the Pirate Club. Maloney announced his retirement after more than 36 years with ECU Athletics and the Pirate Club. As assistant director for major gifts, Maloney oversaw major gifts and donor relationships across the entire Pirate Club membership.

Building Health and Well-being

In June, ECU and partners held a topping-out ceremony for the new Brody Center for Medical Education, a seven-story building scheduled to open next summer. The $265 million state-funded project will increase the number of physicians who provide rural healthcare and primary care in North Carolina.

Philanthropic support for the center has been sparked by a multi-year $10 million pledge through the ECU Health Foundation from David and Laura Brody of Raleigh, and Hyman and Stacy Brody of Greenville, which will support and expand the Brody Scholars program.

Serving Pirates and Communities

ECU Alumni connected with an ever-growing network of Pirates this year. New alumni received their first official alumni T-shirt on Reading Day. This new tradition, along with the Senior Toast, is part of the university's broader initiative to strengthen student engagement and foster lifelong connections with ECU.

The ninth celebration of ECU's 40 Under Forty awards was held in April. The program recognized dedicated Pirates who have used their education to pursue their passions and lead positive change through their career achievements, leadership and service. Honorees represented a wide range of fields, including business, research, the arts, education, community leadership and health care. The honorees join 320 alumni recognized since 2015.

ECU Alumni and local alumni chapters engaged with more than 400 incoming Pirates and family members at eight Pirates Set Sail events in North Carolina and Virginia ahead of the fall 2025 semester. The events allowed incoming students to meet others who were attending ECU in a fun, low-pressure environment for students and their families.

ECU held its third Days of Service initiative to encourage service and community involvement. Senior Director of Alumni Engagement Meghan Woolard '11 said more than 490 people participated in 1,223 volunteer hours and completed 26 service projects.