More than 97,000 donors gave to U-M in fiscal year 2023, with the university receiving overall fundraising commitments of $643 million.
The university relies on private support from donors to expand the impact of campuswide initiatives, student support programs, new research, medical advances and more. Ninety-eight percent of gifts in FY ’23 were less than $25,000, averaging $658 per gift.
Tom Baird, vice president for development, noted that strong support in FY ’23, which ended June 30, positions the university’s fundraising efforts well as it prepares for its next public fundraising campaign.
“I am thrilled once again to see not only our community’s tremendous generosity, but the way its passion for creating a better world is expressed through the breadth and depth of gifts we receive,” Baird said. “Their continued support and vision for what the university can achieve help make U-M the special place that it is for so many.”
Earlier this year, the School of Education was renamed the Marsal Family School of Education in recognition of a new $50 million commitment — the largest in school history — and more than $55 million in total gifts by the family of Kathleen and Bryan Marsal and their children, Megan Marsal Kirsch and Michael Marsal.
The gift supports a diverse population of teachers, robust partnerships with schools and communities, and research in collaboration with education practitioners.
In December 2022, Michigan Medicine announced it would name its new hospital to celebrate a $50 million gift from the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Foundation — one of the largest ever to Michigan Medicine — and to honor the Kahns’ dedication to U-M and the public good.
The D. Dan and Betty Kahn Health Care Pavilion will include 264 private inpatient rooms capable of converting into intensive care, a top-notch neurosciences center and specialty services for cardiovascular and thoracic care. The $920 million facility is scheduled to open in fall 2025.
Other gifts in FY ’23 included $2.75 million and $1.5 million to the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning to support broader access to architecture education and diversity in the profession, and leadership in urban planning, respectively; and $2 million to the W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden at Nichols Arboretum.
Additional giving also made a strong collective impact. Over two giving days, the traditional Giving Tuesday and U-M’s own Giving Blueday, nearly 14,000 donors — an 8% increase — supported more than 131 student organizations and other causes across all U-M campuses.
