George Washington may be the first president, but in the competition for big donations, a school named after another founding father just pulled in its first nine-figure gift.
Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia landed a $110 million donation from The Sidney Kimmel Foundation this week. We tip our tri-cornered hats off to them, but let’s remember, GW has yet to secure a gift of that size.
The University will look to land such large donations as part of GW’s first $1 billion campaign, which will launch at the end of the week. This year, the University received its largest-ever gift, a combined $80 million from billionaires Michael Milken and Sumner Redstone.
While that eight-figure donation to name the public health school signaled how far the University has come, experts say a fundraising team truly makes the big leagues after pulling in its first gift of $100 million or more. Neighboring Georgetown University also announced its first $100 million gift last fall.
The donation to Thomas Jefferson University will support medical school scholarships, research and faculty recruitment.
Sidney Kimmel, founder of Jones Apparel Group, has a long history of donating mega-gifts to higher education. He pledged $150 million to Johns Hopkins University in 2001 to help establish a cancer center bearing his name. Maybe fundraisers should call him?
This post was updated to reflect the following correction:
Due to an editing error, The Hatchet incorrectly reported that Georgetown University was located across the Potomac River from GW. It is on the same side of the river. We regret this error.
