Harvard's Capital Campaign Meets $6.5 Billion Goal
After only two and a half years of its five year-long public fundraising drive, Harvard broke a higher education record. Here's a look at the campaign's biggest moments.
Harvard has raised at least $6.5 billion in its capital campaign, breaking a higher education fundraising record after only two and half years of its five year-long public drive, according to two donors with direct knowledge of the campaign’s progress.
Its goal reached and some of its largest gifts collected, the “One Harvard” campaign will now finish the more humble task of polishing off priorities and engaging rank and file donors.
The gift will establish a permanent endowment for SEAS—which will now be known as the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences—as the school prepares to move into new facilities in Allston, Harvard announced on Wednesday.
The $5 billion figure comprises nearly 300,000 gifts from 100,000 households, according to Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development Tamara E. Rogers '74.
The gift is among the largest single donations in the history of higher education and marks the first time that Harvard has renamed one of its schools in recognition of philanthropy.
Hedge fund manager Kenneth C. Griffin ’89 has donated $150 million to Harvard and has directed at least $125 million of the gift to support financial aid at the College. The gift, announced by the University on Wednesday afternoon, is the largest in the history of Harvard College.
An afternoon packed with star-studded events for Harvard’s alumni and donors kicked off the public phase of Harvard’s potentially record-breaking capital campaign on Saturday.
