Annual Giving

students on locust walk

Annual giving has been an enduring high priority for the University and will continue to be so going forward. Through gifts of all sizes, alumni, parents, students, and friends who donate to Penn’s 23 annual giving funds make an astounding collective impact each year. Penn donors gave more than $692.2 million to annual giving funds during The Power of Penn Campaign, exceeding the Campaign goal of $580 million for this critical area of support.

Thanks to vital annual giving programs across the University, Penn can: offer more scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students; recruit outstanding faculty; bolster emerging research; deliver new courses and other learning resources; provide critical support for athletics; and sustain and grow our world-class arts and cultural centers.

The Penn Fund

Through their gifts to The Penn Fund, alumni, student, and parent communities from the four undergraduate schools—Wharton, the College, Engineering, and Nursing—make a vital impact every year. Together, these contributions total over $40 million annually in immediately available funding for undergraduate student life and learning.

During the Campaign, 60,000+ undergraduate alumni donors supported The Penn Fund.

Nearly 30,000 undergraduate alumni donors joined or maintained their membership in the Ivy Stone Society, which recognizes giving for three or more consecutive years.

Penn Parents

Penn Parents

Penn parents extended their support to undergraduate students through giving to The Penn Fund as well as directly to other areas of the University.

  • 77,000+ parents participated in annual giving during the Campaign, contributing over $130.6 million.
  • 1,600+ parents joined at the BFS Founders level by giving $10,000 or more to The Penn Fund.
Penn parents

The Benjamin Franklin Society

The Benjamin Franklin Society (BFS) recognizes donors for their enduring leadership and support of at least $2,500* or more to The Penn Fund and other annual giving programs across the University each fiscal year.

  • BFS membership grew to nearly 20,000.
  • More than 10,000 donors became new BFS members.
  • Over 3,000 donors joined the BFS Ambassador level by contributing $25,000 to annual giving.
  • More than 4,500 young alumni donors gave to various annual funds at the BFS level.

*and at introductory levels for recent graduates

School and Center Annual Giving Programs

Twenty-three programs ensure school Deans and center Directors have the means to jump-start new initiatives and the flexibility to meet emerging, and sometimes unanticipated, needs.

For example, in March 2020, annual giving funds enabled the Penn Libraries to quickly forge the path for remote learning by increasing digital services and online access to resources for faculty and students across Penn.