Amid budget cuts, Princeton Annual Giving campaign raises second-highest amount in history

Princeton University’s Annual Giving campaign raised $79.6 million in the 2025–26 academic year, an increase of about $11.2 million from 2024–2025. The uptick in donations comes amid a period of budgetary uncertainty for the University following federal funding cuts and decreased long-term endowment return projections.

Despite reflecting a continued drop in alumni participation at 43.7 percent, the campaign’s nearly $80 million in contributions represents the second-largest total in University history and cements  Princeton’s status as one of the nation’s leaders in alumni donations.

“This year’s Annual Giving results are outstanding,” University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 wrote in the press release announcing the campaign’s total. “These unrestricted funds are critical to sustaining the University’s core priorities: pathbreaking research, transformative teaching, and best-in-class financial aid and graduate fellowships.”

The increase was largely driven by major reunion classes, most of which gave substantially more than the classes celebrating the same milestone a year ago. Several set records for their reunion year, even as participation among undergraduate alumni overall continued to slide.

The Annual Giving campaign is an alumni-led campaign raising money that directly contributes to the University’s annual operating budget — the pool of money that funds day-to-day operations. “Because of budget uncertainties associated with federal funding, the University will need to draw even more heavily on Annual Giving and other sources,” University spokesperson Ahmad Rizvi wrote in a statement to The Daily Princetonian.

Following the University’s launch of its StandUp advocacy campaign, which is intended to promote the University’s mission, academic research, and defend American higher education, the University has redoubled its fundraising efforts. 

“Annual Giving is one of the most immediate ways that alumni and friends Stand Up for Princeton, and every gift counts,” Rizvi wrote. 

The Class of 2001 contributed the most to the campaign in anticipation of its 25th reunion, raising a class record of $9.4 million. This is about $2.9 million more than last year’s 25th reunion class, the Class of 2000, which raised about $6.5 million. The Class of 1976’s $9.2 million at its 50th reunion year also outpaced the Class of 1975’s $5.4 million last year and represented a record-high total for the class. 

“We are grateful to our many volunteers for their hard work and dedication, and to our alumni, parents, and friends for their loyal and generous support to bring about last year’s terrific results,” Sue Walsh, associate vice president for Annual Giving, wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince.’ 

The Classes of 1966 and 2011 also broke previous spending records, raising $3.6 million and $1.5 million, respectively. 

Ten alumni groups with major upcoming reunion years raised over a million dollars: the Classes of 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, and 2011. Only two milestone classes dipped: the 30th reunion Class of 1996 raised $6.05 million, slightly below the Class of 1995’s $6.22 million, and the 55th reunion Class of 1971 raised $1.06 million, compared with last year’s $2.42 million from the Class of 1970.

Outside of major reunion years, the highest amount contributed by a class was $929,213 by the Class of 1997. Parents and graduate classes also made up a substantial but smaller percentage of contributions for the Annual Giving campaign, with $2,147,092 coming from graduate alumni and $1,505,588 from parents of Princeton students.

The overall level of alumni participation during the Annual Fund campaign dipped slightly, with 43.7 percent of undergraduate alumni participating compared to 43.9 percent in the 2024–2025 campaign.

Eight alumni classes had an alumni participation rate over 60 percent, with the highest two being the Class of 1966 with a rate of 76.2 percent and the Class of 1963 with a rate of 72.7 percent. 

The 10 most recent alumni classes also contributed substantially to the Annual Fund campaign. The Class of 2016 fundraised $250,516, the most of alumni classes that graduated in the past decade. For its first-ever campaign, 77.1 percent of the then-graduating Class of 2026 made a gift.

According to Rizvi, gifts to Annual Giving have directly contributed to establishing the Novogratz Bridge Year Program for incoming first-years, renovating McCosh 50, and establishing the Learning and Education through Service program, among a variety of other educational expenses. 

Benedict Hooper is a staff News writer for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Greenwich, Conn., and can be reached at bhooper[at]dailyprincetonian.com.

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.