Community members donated over $2 million on GW’s sixth annual Giving Day, setting a record since officials launched the fundraiser in 2021 and edging past last year’s previous high.
The University raised $2,027,144 during its 24-hour Giving Day on Tuesday and Wednesday, surpassing last year’s total by about $3,000 to support students and University initiatives. 3,791 donors contributed to the fundraiser this year — the highest number on record since GW launched Giving Day in 2021.
52 percent of donations came from alumni — an increase from last year’s 36 percent — with faculty and staff accounting for the second-largest donor group at 17 percent.
GW Division for Student Affairs received the highest amount of donations out of GW’s 23 projects listed online, bringing in over $387,000 — up nearly 20 percent from last year’s $320,799.
Officials extended this year’s fundraiser — initially set to run from April 7 at noon to April 8 at noon — until 3 p.m. to allow more community members to donate. It marked the fourth year officials extended the donation deadline to attract more donors.
The School of Business took home the top gift amount out of the University’s schools and colleges — raking in over $210,000 from 220 donors — funding that will go towards connecting students with mentors and career opportunities and experiential learning, according to the Giving Day website. The School of Medicine & Health Sciences trailed in second place, raking in $182,420 from 142 donors.
The Columbian College of Arts & Sciences collected $133,088, down from last year’s $185,461 and 2024’s $738,539.
The Elliott School of International Affairs brought in $165,212 — a drop from $246,005 in 2025 when it brought in the most money among the academic schools. Frank Wong, an ESIA ‘79 alum and member of Elliott’s Institute for International Economic Policy’s Executive Circle, donated $100,000 after fulfilling the goal of reaching 150 donors for ESIA.
Donations have mostly increased since Giving Day’s launch in 2021. Officials raised $840,143 in 2021, over $1.6 million in 2022, $1.2 million in 2023, $1.7 million in 2024 and over $2 million in 2025.
This year’s Giving Day follows officials’ renaming of its alumni network to GW Alumni in fall 2025, a move that aims to enable alumni to engage more with the University and its current students outside of financial contributions.
It also comes after GW’s non-governmental donations — like gifts from alumni, faculty and families — dropped just over 41 percent from fiscal year 2023 to FY2024, coinciding with activist-led campaigns to withhold funding at the onset of the war in Gaza.
This year marks Vice President for University Advancement David Unruh’s first Giving Day since his tenure began Aug. 1. Unruh has led fundraising and alumni engagement following the office’s rebrand from the Division of Development and Alumni Relations to the Division of University Advancement in March 2025, a move officials said would help increase donations to fund strategic framework initiatives.
