Duke sets sights on new records as it launches its most ambitious campaign in history
As Duke embarks on its most ambitious campaign to date, the university is celebrating new successes across its fundraising and alumni engagement enterprise.
MADE FOR THIS: The Duke Campaign, which launched externally in February 2025, is engaging alumni and friends of the university to accelerate progress in areas where Duke can make the greatest difference for the world—advancing innovation through science and technology, creating a more sustainable planet, shaping students as next-generation leaders and advancing health care to help communities thrive.
In the past fiscal year, more than 87,000 Duke University alumni and friends contributed $605 million* to support the university’s highest priorities.
“Since our founding, philanthropy has always been the engine that has powered the Duke community to new levels of excellence and achievement,” said President Vincent E. Price. “Generous support from our alumni and friends is more important now than ever before. I am incredibly grateful to the generous alumni and friends who stepped up during the first year of The Duke Campaign to support the university’s work to meet the challenges of the next century.”
In addition, for the first time in a Duke campaign, the university also has set out to increase engagement across its alumni base through key categories, including volunteerism.
In the past fiscal year, more than 14,000 alumni gave their time and talent back to Duke through volunteering, attending events, serving as alumni ambassadors to prospective students, and lending support to fellow Blue Devils. More than 25,000 alumni attended a Duke event, and more than 9,500 previously inactive alumni reengaged with Duke. Thirty-four percent of alumni engaged in at least one way through volunteering, attending events, making a gift or connecting to Duke digitally.
“This is a moment for Duke’s history books, and I couldn’t be more grateful to the Duke community for helping the university advance its mission of teaching, research and patient care through gifts of their time and philanthropy,” said David L. Kennedy, vice president for alumni engagement and development. “The Duke Campaign will continue to build on the momentum of our record-breaking fiscal year and propel us forward in driving the breakthroughs of our time.”
Gifts and nongovernmental grants for research totaled $192 million, representing the largest funded area of private philanthropy. Donors also supported financial aid for undergraduate and graduate students ($77 million), faculty excellence and research ($300 million), and new construction and facility renovations ($17 million).
In addition, the Duke Annual Fund received $51 million from 46,000 alumni, parents, students, and friends. The Annual Fund helps support students and faculty, financial aid and fellowships, and educational programs for all of Duke’s undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools. It also supports Duke Chapel, Duke Libraries, Duke Marine Lab, Nasher Museum of Art, and the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.
Highlights include:
- A $25 million gift from philanthropists Bruce and Martha Karsh established the inaugural Karsh STEM Scholars Program.
- A $10 million gift expanded the work of the Bolch Judicial Institute at Duke Law School, a center of learning for judges, lawyers and students that aims to advance principles such as judicial independence. The donors, Carl Bolch Jr. and Susan Bass Bolch, established the Bolch Judicial Institute in 2018.
- An $8 million award from The Duke Endowment supported a new effort aimed at preparing doctoral students to tackle the most pressing societal problems of our time.
- A $5 million award from The Duke Endowment bolstered the work of the Office of Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School, one of the oldest offices of its kind among all U.S. theological schools.
- Dedicated efforts across schools and units, including an effort funded by a $2 million award from The Duke Endowment, prepared Duke students to engage in civil discourse as part of their growing leadership skills.
- A gift of $1.75 million from alumni and parent donors was matched by the same amount from The Duke Endowment for an environmental health professorship at Nicholas School of the Environment.
- The Baquerizo Innovation Grant, a student accelerator funded by a $1.1 million gift from an alumni family, sparked innovation and entrepreneurship and give Duke engineers the chance to transform ideas into impact.
- A $1.05 million gift established the new Duke Ocular Innovation Hub to drive research innovations, support faculty and advance the work of the Duke Eye Center.
*Universities and colleges report cash totals to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for its Voluntary Support of Education survey. This reflects actual cash received from private support, including outright gifts, grants and payments on existing pledges, and best represents fundraising activity from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.
