The University of Miami has achieved a historic fundraising milestone, surpassing its $2.5 billion goal by raising a total of $2.65 billion through Ever Brighter: The Campaign for Our Next Century.
This achievement is the largest philanthropic effort by any private institution in Florida.
“The priorities were really based on the University’s priorities and the roadmap to our second century,” Joshua Friedman, senior vice president for development and alumni relations said in a statement to The Hurricane. “There were investments in supporting our students through scholarships, facilities across the entire university, research everywhere from the Rosenstiel campus to the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and then in athletics.”
The success of the Ever Brighter campaign shows the support that UM has accumulated from alumni, donors and friends from around the world. More than 470,000 gifts were contributed by more than 160,000 individuals, with donations coming from all 50 U.S. states and 98 countries.
The top two priorities of the Ever Brighter campaign included expanding support for students through scholarships and opportunities and increasing the number of endowed faculty positions — both of which have been exceeded.
A total of 113 new endowed faculty positions, known as Centennial Talents, were created through the campaign. These positions help the university attract and retain leading scholars whose teaching and research push the boundaries of their fields.
Additionally, more than $280 million was raised for student support, significantly increasing students’ access to scholarships. These funds are helping students from all backgrounds attend the U and pursue their academic goals without the burden of financial strain.
Grecia Dianel Rivera Carrasquillo, a 2024 graduate from the Frost School of Music, brought her dream to be a singer-songwriter to life by releasing her debut Latin pop single, “Hipérbole” in 2023.
“Scholarship support gave me that opportunity and has changed my life,” she said to News@TheU.
Donor support has also led to major investments in research, innovation and campus development. The campaign added more than 564,000 square feet of new facilities across the university’s campuses, including state-of-the-art labs, classrooms and performance spaces.
But the fundraising effort started long before it was publicly announced in November 2021. Behind the scenes, donor support had already been fueling these major investments since 2015.
“Really the campaign was a 10 year campaign. It was quiet before it was public,” said Friedman. “We actually were going to announce the campaign publicly about the same time that COVID was hitting, so that slowed down that public announcement a bit. It was one of our first homecomings back on campus after COVID when we were able to really share the news of Ever Brighter with everyone.”
After four years of being public the campaign reached a historic milestone in major gifts, securing more than 440 contributions of $1 million dollars or more.
Among these was a $126 million anonymous donation, the largest in UM’s history, gifted to the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in recognition of its director, Dr. Stephen Nimer. Phillip and Patricia Frost contributed $100 million to launch the Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Science and Philanthropist Kenneth C. Griffin donated $50 million in support of the new 12 story Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building, scheduled to open this year.
While these major donations were critical, the campaign’s success was powered by the widespread UM community. Nearly 90 percent of all gifts were $1,000 or less, and the median gift was $50.
This collective generosity was a key factor in surpassing the campaign’s goal.
“This is an incredible achievement and demonstrates how deeply people feel connected to the University,” Guillermo “Willy” Prado, interim executive vice president for academic affairs and provost said. “Ever Brighter is fueling student success, academic and research distinction and discoveries that will benefit society.”