University of Washington exception to national fundraising drop

Charitable contributions to colleges and universities plummeted an average 11.9 percent nationwide in 2009, the steepest drop in at least three decades, according to a new report.

THE NEWS TRIBUNE

Published: 02/03/10 12:05 am | Updated: 02/03/10 7:41 am

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Charitable contributions to colleges and universities plummeted an average 11.9 percent nationwide in 2009, the steepest drop in at least three decades, according to a new report.

Individual giving dropped in both dollars and participation numbers. Gifts for endowments and new buildings saw the biggest decreases, according to the Council for Aid to Education, which released its 2009 fiscal report Wednesday.

“We knew that this was going to be a bad year,” said Ann Kaplan, director of the survey, who noted that 2009 was a bad year for both the institutions and the donors who support them.

The 20 institutions that raised the most in 2009 brought in $7.28 billion, which was $1.13 billion less than the top 20 top schools raised in 2008.

But 2009 wasn’t bad for every college. The University of Washington – No. 12 on the Council for Aid to Education’s list – had its best fundraising year in history, said Walt Dreyfoos, associate vice president of advancement services.

It brought in $324 million in fiscal 2009 – an increase of more than $20 million over 2008.

Individual donations were down at the Seattle university last year, but corporate and foundation dollars going mostly to research remained strong. In addition to research money, the university was still collecting on multiyear pledges.

The Associated Press

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