Western Washington University reports record fundraising

WWU News

On This Page

• WWU Stories
• News Releases and Announcements
• WWU in the News
• Campus News and Information

Western Washington University reports record fundraising

August 19, 2026

Western Washington University is celebrating the most successful fundraising year in its 133-year history. During Fiscal Year 2026, the university raised a record $25.5 million to support scholarships, academic excellence, student success, research, athletics and programs across Western.

The milestone reflects the extraordinary generosity of thousands of alumni, parents, faculty, staff, retirees and friends who invested in Western during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026. Their support will create new opportunities for students while strengthening the university's mission for years to come.

"We have been deeply moved by the generosity of our donors over the past year," said Kim Hill, CEO of The Foundation for WWU & Alumni and vice president for University Advancement. "Every gift represents someone who believes in Western and in the potential of our students and the excellence of our faculty."

The year was also marked by an unprecedented philanthropic commitment. Longtime supporters and alumni Peter and Judith Hallson committed $10.5 million to Western, the largest gift commitment in the university's history. Their transformational gift will support several university priorities, including establishing the Peter and Judith Hallson Deanship for the College of Science and Engineering, the first endowed deanship in Western's history. The Hallsons' gift represents a landmark investment in Western's future and will shape the university for generations to come.

In addition to the Hallsons' gift, there were some particularly noteworthy contributions in FY26:

• Ann Barr provided a $2 million gift to name a new endowed chair in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences.
• The Estate of Ingeborg Paulus contributed $695,000 for the Ingeborg Paulus Endowed Scholarship in Sociology.
• Puget Sound Energy issued a $467,000 grant in recognition of energy savings from Kaiser Borsari Hall.
• The Estate of Miriam Crellin contributed $415,000 for the Western Fund, an unrestricted fund to be used at the president's discretion to support excellence and innovation across campus.
• An anonymous donor gave $300,000 to create the Western Excellence Awards; initial awards will be directed to high-performing students in the College of Science and Engineering and the College of the Environment.
• Jean Andresen donated $250,000 to establish The Healing Garden, a new reflective space on campus.
• jim justice and Dave McConnell gave $250,000 to support the Maestros Para el Pueblo Program in Woodring College of Education
• Chandler Udo, '93, and his wife Kyle Udo, '93, created a $130,000 endowment to establish scholarship support and expand access and opportunities for Western undergrad students.
• Kathryn Anderson established a $124,000 endowment, the Anderson-Helfgott Speaker Series Fund, in honor of her late husband and longtime faculty member Lenny Helfgott, to create and advance an annual speaker series in both the Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies and History departments, enriching academic dialogue, student learning and community.
• Don and Karen Berry pledged a $100,000 gift to create a scholarship supporting students in the College of Fine and Performing Arts Music Department.
• Charles Clark, '73, established an endowment of $100,000 to provide programmatic support for the new Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, helping strengthen student learning and innovation within the program. This adds to his prior endowments of $100,000 each to the Mathematics Department and the Physics & Astronomy Department.
• Donna Rassat established an endowment of $100,000 in honor of her late husband Scot Rassat, '83, to create the Scot Rassat Memorial Scholarship in Chemistry.

As important as large donations have been, the generosity of the broader donor community has also been strong.

Donors made WWU Give Day 2026 the most successful day of giving in university history. Nearly 3,000 donors contributed more than $1.05 million in support of scholarships, student experiences, academic programs, athletics and other priorities across campus.

In addition to these contributions, hundreds of WWU friends, alumni, faculty, and staff have contributed $4 million in annual gifts of less than $25,000. The record-breaking results demonstrate the strength of the Western community and the collective impact of gifts of every size.

Planned giving was also strong this year, as donors included Western in their long-term financial and estate plans. During the fiscal year, the university recorded an unprecedented 18 new estate commitments. Overall, donors documented more than $13.3 million in future gifts to Western through their wills and estate plans. Western also received $2.8 million through estate gifts and other planned gifts that provide income to donors during their lifetimes before ultimately benefiting the university.

Hill said the record fundraising results underscore both the growing importance of philanthropy to Western's future and the university's deep appreciation for those who choose to invest in its students and mission.

"This extraordinary generosity strengthens Western's ability to serve our students, advance our mission and build for the future," Hill said. "We are deeply grateful to everyone who has chosen to be part of that work."