Increased donor count fuels Purdue University’s unprecedented fundraising totals

According to a report from the Purdue for Life Foundation, a Purdue University trend of breaking key institution-wide records during fiscal year 2024 extended across the philanthropic sector.

Purdue for Life recently announced in its impact report that the university set records for new gift commitments and philanthropic cash in 2024. 

• New gift commitments reached $632.3 million, which broke the record of $610.3 million set a year ago. The university has seen an increase of 51% over the last four years.
• The philanthropic cash total of $349.8 million broke the 2022 record of $245.3 million and represents an increase of 71% over the last four years.

These efforts were propelled by a nearly 2% growth in the total number of donors, which rose to 85,421, setting a record for total annual donors outside of a major campaign.

Purdue for Life’s announcement supplements a report presented to the Board of Trustees on Aug. 2 announcing that the university set new records for research awards, philanthropic fundraising, undergraduate and graduate applications and selectivity, graduation rate, online enrollment, patents received, and media visibility.

“We are excited to be part of an unprecedented year for Purdue University, and this is certainly a remarkable achievement for everyone in the Purdue family,” said Greg Kapp, the vice president for development at Purdue for Life. “We are ever grateful to the alumni, friends and fans who support the university. Every contribution, no matter the size, really does make an impact. Purdue is in the business of building a better world, and it is uplifting to see Boilermakers around the globe uniting behind such an important mission.” 

There are many ways to support Purdue.

This year, Misty Tyree, a 1968 graduate of the College of Health and Human Sciences, established a planned gift to support a variety of initiatives across the university by pledging her 680 acres of Indiana farmland, which is valued at $9 million. Upon her death, proceeds from the sale of her farmland will support study abroad and scholarships for agriculture students, study abroad for veterinary medicine students, research in the Center for the Human-Animal Bond, service dog research in the Military Family Research Institute, a chair in human development and family science in honor of her start in the College of Health and Human Sciences, and a professorship in electrical and computer science in honor of her late husband. 

To learn how you can make an impact, visit purdueforlife.org/give-back.

About the Purdue for Life Foundation

The Purdue for Life Foundation helps friends and alumni of Purdue University stay connected, get involved and give back. Created on March 11, 2020, the foundation deepens alumni ties to Purdue, drives and coordinates all alumni-related activities across the Purdue family’s postgraduation lives and works with alumni and friends to garner support for the university. Our organization combines the alumni engagement function of the Purdue Alumni Association and the University Development Office, and it includes President’s Council, the John Purdue Club and the Office of Industry Partnerships, as well as alumni lifelong learning programs and on-campus residential opportunities. Learn more at https://purdueforlife.org/. 

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.