Vanderbilt University
08/25/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/25/2025 09:14
Vanderbilt University celebrates record-breaking fundraising year, unprecedented impact
Spurred by the steadfast momentum of the Dare to Grow campaign and the generous support of the Vanderbilt community, the 2025 fiscal year was the strongest year of fundraising in Vanderbilt University's 152-year history.
In addition to raising $345 million in new commitments, the university also exceeded its ambitious goal to engage 100,000 alumni through the campaign's call to "Give, Go, Help, Share."
More than 3,500 alumni came back to campus November 7-10. Classes celebrating their fifth to 60th Reunions raised more than $69 million, making a significant contribution to the Dare to Grow campaign.
Nearly 4,200 parents, grandparents, siblings and friends-the highest attendance in five years-convened on the Vanderbilt campus to celebrate Family Weekend Sept. 6-8, 2024.
This year's Giving Day and inaugural I ⚓ VU Week took Commodore spirit to the next level with a weeklong celebration. More than 6,900 members of the Vanderbilt community gave more than $12.2 million to support areas across the university, including schools, labs and institutes, athletics, student organizations and scholarships.
Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver honored scholars from across Vanderbilt at an endowed chair investiture ceremony on April 30. Endowed chairs are made possible through generous philanthropic support.
"These milestones are more than numbers; they represent our community's unwavering engagement and belief in the power of this campaign to change lives," Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations John M. Lutz said. "Fundraising is a team sport, and we are profoundly grateful to the alumni, parents, families, students, faculty and staff who generously support Vanderbilt's mission to become the great university of the 21st century."
The Dare to Grow campaign-which eclipsed its original fundraising goal of $3.2 billion 20 months ahead of schedule, in fall 2024-has already driven far-reaching impact across the university. Since the start of the campaign, Dare to Grow has established more than 1,200 scholarships, raised more than $865 million to support faculty and research programs, and funded more than $365 million to fuel Commodore athletics, among many other areas.*
In the 2025 fiscal year, philanthropy advanced several foundational university priorities including residential colleges, the Vandy United campaign-which supported the Commodores' remarkable year in men's football, women's basketball and beyond-and Opportunity Vanderbilt, the university's hallmark financial aid program that enables Vanderbilt to provide debt-free tuition to students from families making $150,000 or less a year, which represents approximately three out of four American households.
Since the start of the Dare to Grow campaign, generous donors have established more than 1,200 scholarships for students. Their gifts include support for Opportunity Vanderbilt, which meets 100% of students' demonstrated financial need without loans.
Through the Vandy United initiative, the Dare to Grow campaign has revolutionized Vanderbilt Athletics with transformational support for major facilities and operational enhancements, as well as amplifying support for scholarships and programs for student-athletes.
Nearly 150 parent and alumni leaders gathered on campus Feb. 28 and March 1 for Vanderbilt's eighth annual Volunteer Leadership Weekend. The two-day event is an opportunity for the university to express deep appreciation for its most engaged leaders and to give them an insider's look at Vanderbilt's latest initiatives.
Since the start of the campaign, Vanderbilt supporters have given more than $865 million to support world-class faculty and innovative research programs.
In addition, recent support has significantly enriched university growth initiatives including Vanderbilt's expanding presence in West Palm Beach and in New York City, as well as myriad projects designed to strengthen the local innovation ecosystem in Nashville, including the Institute of National Security and the university's new College of Connected Computing, among many more.
"This record-breaking year, which has strengthened so many initiatives at Vanderbilt, is the perfect springboard for our future success as we enter the final year of the Dare to Grow campaign," Lutz said.
* Data as of July 1, 2025
Dare to Grow
Philanthropy fuels the extraordinary momentum of Vanderbilt's Dare to Grow campaign, which publicly launched in April 2023 and continues through June 2026. Dare to Grow surpassed its initial goal last fall and continues to push the boundaries for what's possible to make an impact across campus and around the world.
Vanderbilt University published this content on August 25, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on August 25, 2025 at 15:14 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]