Philanthropic giving to higher education increased by 4% in 2025, reaching an estimated $78 billion.gettyPhilanthropic gifts to American colleges and universities totaled $78 billion in Fiscal Year 2025, a 4% increase over the prior year, according to the newest figures from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s (CASE) Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) survey. The annual CASE survey, generally regarded as the definitive source about philanthropic support for nonprofit and public higher education institutions in the United States, covered charitable giving to 670 schools (representing about 17% of the nation’s colleges and universities) between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. CASE breaks out the dollars reported by survey participants into two categories — funds received and new funds committed. It then uses those survey results to estimate the national level of philanthropic support for higher education institutions in the United States, including those that did not participate in the survey.Most of the surveyed institutions reported an increase in their philanthropic support year-over-year, with public institutions outpacing private schools in both funds received and new funds committed. According to the report, 53.1% of private institutions and 57.6% of public institutions reported increases in new funds committed, while 55% of private institutions and 63.7% of public institutions saw gains in funds they received.Giving By ActivityThe vast majority — 81% — of all contributions were designated for specific uses, with student success programs such as advising and tutoring, financial aid, and research being among the largest categories. MORE FOR YOUThe bulk of gifts received went to current operations (60%), with 53.2% for restricted (donor-designated) purposes and 6.2% for unrestricted use. Endowments were the next largest category at 27.8%, with most of the income from endowed funds being used for student financial aid and faculty support. Capital expenditures for property, buildings and equipment accounted for another 10.3%. Giving By SourceAlumni and non-alumni individuals increased their overall giving to higher education in 2025 by an average of 12%, but philanthropic gifts by foundations declined .5% overall in fiscal year 2025. Foundations still accounted for the largest share of total dollars received, at 29.1%. Alumni giving represented 23.2% of the total, followed by non-alumni individuals at 16%, donor-advised funds at 12.4%, corporations at 12%, and gifts from other types of organizations at 7.3%.While more dollars were raised by institutions, the total number of donors decreased in 2025, marking the fourth straight year of what CASE termed a "donors down, dollars up” trend. Median giving per alumni donor rose to $1,895, driven largely by an upward shift to gifts of $1,000 and greater. The primary losses in donor numbers were among individuals who gave smaller gifts. Other FindingsAn overwhelming percentage of higher education’s philanthropic support comes from a small number of donors, with 89% of the funds received being given by just 2% of donors in fiscal year 2025. That split is similar to what fundraisers for other organizations in the nonprofit sector have seen in recent years — a gain in dollars raised, accompanied by a decline in the number of donors. Bequests were up in 2025, continuing another trend. In 2025, bequests represented 23.7% of personal giving to higher education, compared with 19.7% in 202o and 18.1% in 2015. The fact that nearly 60% of institutions reported an increase in both funds received and new funds committed suggests that donors are continuing to have confidence in higher education’s mission, expressed through their personal preferences for the specific programs they want to support. “Donors are increasingly directing their giving toward areas that expand educational opportunity and address society’s most pressing challenges,” said Sue Cunningham, President and CEO of CASE, in a press release.“Their generosity underscores a shared conviction that education is one of the most powerful forces for positive change – both for individuals and for the greater community. We all benefit from the important work these institutions deliver.”