Donors set new UGA fundraising record

Donations to the University of Georgia in fiscal year 2024, which ended June 30, surpassed $275 million for the first time in the university’s history.

Nearly 70,000 alumni and friends contributed $275.2 million to scholarships, faculty support, public service programs, the new UGA School of Medicine and much more.

“I have immeasurable gratitude for everyone who made this record year possible,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “We are at an important juncture in UGA’s history, and by giving at levels we have never seen before, donors are empowering us to achieve at levels we have never seen before. These contributions — made to all areas of the university — will truly change lives, enhance our state and improve our world.”

The record-breaking year caps a sustained period of strong giving. UGA’s three-year rolling average for fundraising, which averages the previous three years of donation totals, now stands at over $258 million, an all-time high. This is the seventh consecutive year this figure has exceeded $200 million.

“We are in the midst of an amazing time for this university, and our donors are a huge reason why,” said Jill S. Walton, vice president for development and alumni relations. “I am filled with gratitude and pride knowing that so many donors — long-time and first-time, alumni and friends, parents and students, UGA faculty and staff — recognized the possibility of this moment in UGA’s history and committed to making that possibility real.”

In fiscal year 2024, donors created 127 scholarship funds as well as 19 endowed faculty positions, bringing UGA’s total number of faculty endowments to 375. Adding more endowed faculty positions and scholarships — for both undergraduate and graduate/professional students — were fundraising priorities for the university in FY24 and will remain so in FY25.

“We want to do everything we can to attract the best students and open doors for those who might not otherwise be able to attend, and we want to ensure that students are taught by world-class faculty,” said Allison C. Ausband, chair of the UGA Foundation Board of Trustees. “Record-breaking years like this one expedite these incredible opportunities. We made tremendous progress this year, and that success challenges us to do more.”

The new UGA School of Medicine is another area of special attention for the university. Established in February, the school already has garnered substantial private support. Donors committed nearly $9 million in the last four months to help build a new 92,000-square-foot medical education and research facility.

Donor support in FY24 extended to all areas of campus and came in a variety of forms, including:

• A new record for single-day giving during Dawg Day of Giving, one year after UGA supporters set the previous record.
• A total of more than $10 million from the Stanton Foundation that will benefit areas across campus, including $5 million to the School of Law and $5.2 million to the College of Veterinary Medicine.
• The continued strengthening of e-mobility research, education and economic outreach at UGA and across the state through $1 million gifts from Kia and Cox Automotive.
• The enhancement of Embark Georgia, a statewide network that supports students who have experienced foster care or homelessness, thanks to a $1.1 million gift from the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation’s Child Well-Being Fund.
• A transformational gift from John Munro Godfrey Sr. and his wife, Flavel, to endow and name the John Munro Godfrey Sr. Department of Economics in the Terry College of Business.
• Significant commitments to UGA Athletics, further supporting student-athletes and bolstering facilities projects such as the renovations of Foley Field, Jack Turner Softball Stadium and Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Tennis Center.

Donor groups also made significant contributions to the university in FY24. Georgia Women Give, which launched in March 2023 and has grown to include over 150 founding donors, helped send a group of first-year students on study abroad trips over spring break. The Parents Leadership Council, an organization of highly engaged parents of UGA students, raised a record-breaking $1.2 million that will support campus organizations in the 2024-2025 academic year.