The Johns Hopkins Knowledge for the World fundraising campaign ended Dec. 31 with a total of $3.741 billion committed to the University from over 250,000 donors.
The conclusion of the eight-year long campaign coincided with the retirement of William R. Brody who served as President of the University during the campaign.
The campaign began in 2000 with the purpose of raising funds that would allow the Hopkins students and faculty to tackle issues of the world. It was announced publicly in 2002 with a goal of raising $2 billion by the end of 2007.
When this initial goal was surpassed in December 2005, the trustees extended the goal to $3.2 billion by the end of 2008, which was surpassed in June 2008.
According to the Chronicle for Higher Education, the $3.741 billion raised by Knowledge for the World is the second largest amount raised by any university campaign in the history of U.S. higher education. The only campaign to have raised more money is currently taking place at Stanford University, which has close ties to Silicon Valley. The Stanford campaign has brought in $3.824 billion to date, with a goal of $4.3 billion by 2011.
According to Fritz Schroeder, senior associate vice president for development, the campaign was a summation of efforts from various people, including Brody, the deans of the nine schools of the University, the CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine and thousands of volunteers around the country who support university programs and departments.
"Brody's leadership and the vision he laid out for the institution were important to the campaign's success," Schroeder said. "We also benefit from having more than a quarter million individuals around the world who believe strongly in this institution and its power to affect change in the world."
Schroeder believes terrific academic leadership, the University's supportive base of alumni and friends and good staff work all contributed to the success of the campaign.
Of the total contributions made to the campaign, the largest percentage was committed to research. The $1.27 billion donated for research support will go toward supporting faculty members who are pursuing projects that are too novel to acquire government funding.
The other contributions from the campaign include $1.01 billion for program support across the nine schools, $675 million for renovation of facilities, $237 million for faculty support and $301 million for student aid.
Schroeder explained that contributions to student aid would be used to build upon the University's foundation for financial aid by adding money to the scholarships and aid that is provided.
"This doesn't mean students next year will have more or less financial aid," Schroeder said. "It just allows us to be more generous as we are dealing with applicants coming in as well as students who are here today."
According to Nicholas Jones, dean of the Whiting School of Engineering, contributions to the campaign fall into two categories: designated funds and discretionary funds. Designated funds represent a contract between the donor and the University that the money will be used as the donor requested, such as for specific research or financial aid for undergraduates.
The dean of the school to which the money was committed as he or she sees fit can use discretionary funds, also called undesignated funds. Undesignated funds that are not committed to a specific school are allocated by the president.
"One of the great things about undesignated funds is that they represent an investment in the school that is dispersed at the discretion of the deans," Jones said. "And then we can go and make strategic investments in what we feel are important areas of opportunity."
Knowledge for the World raised $242 million in undesignated funds, which represents less than one percent of the total contributions.
The largest designated commitment made to the Knowledge for the World Campaign was from Sidney Kimmel, the founder of Jones Apparel Group, in 2001. Kimmel announced a $150 million contribution for cancer research and patient care at what is now the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center in San Diego, Calif.
Other outstanding contributions include $100 million from an anonymous donor in 2001 toward the establishment of the Hopkins Malaria Research Institute at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and $100 million from an anonymous donor in 2006 to support construction of a new children's hospital, renovation of Gilman Hall and research initiatives in the School of Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Fifty-eight percent of the total funds from the campaign, or $2.17 billion, went to Hopkins Medicine, which includes the Hopkins Hospital and Health System, as well as the School of Medicine.
According to Steve Rum, associate vice president of Development and Alumni Relations for Hopkins Medicine, the original fundraising goal for the health system was $900 million. In the end, $900 million was raised for medical research alone.
In addition, over $400 million was raised for facility renovation.
"One of the original goals of the campaign [for Hopkins Medicine] was to recapitalize the East Baltimore campus in terms of research and clinical buildings," Rum said.
Although the end of the Knowledge for the World campaign marks a significant milestone in fundraising at the University, Schroeder stressed that it by no means marks the end.
Ronald Daniels, Brody's successor as President of the University, is not unfamiliar with fundraising at the University level.
As dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto, Daniels increased the University's endowment from $75,000 to more than $57 million between 1995 and 2004.
According to Schroeder, he is actively meeting with Hopkins trustees and donors to establish relationships even before he enters office on March 2.
"Daniels understands that an institution like Hopkins relies on private support to move forward," Schroeder said. "When he arrives and learns more about the institution, he will decide what his vision for Hopkins is and how private support will help that vision."
According to Rum, the University, especially Hopkins Medicine, will always be in need of private contributions.
"We're in the business of collaborating, creating and curing," Rum said.
"We collaborate on research, create opportunities and cure diseases. In order to have effective research and outcomes, we will always need philanthropic dollars."
