Communications and Public Affairs

Finance

BY ZACH VEILLEUX

The Rockefeller University Campaign for Collaborative Science, the fundraising effort launched to raise support for the initiatives of the strategic plan developed at the beginning of Paul Nurse’s presidential tenure, concluded in June having raised $628 million in new gifts and grants — far surpassing the $500 million goal set in 2003.
     “The university has had tremendous success raising money to pay for the ambitious proposals laid out in Paul’s plan, and it’s because of the generosity of the many donors who contributed to this campaign that Rockefeller is fiscally strong,” says Russell C. Carson, chair of the Board of Trustees. “We are well-positioned to write the next chapter of the university’s history, under the leadership of Marc Tessier-Lavigne.” 
     The most visible element of the recent campaign is the construction of the 125,000 square foot state-of-the-art Collaborative Research Center. Gifts to the campaign have also helped to support the university’s year-to-year operations, allowed for the recruitment of 12 new faculty members and funded numerous other initiatives, including an expanded fellows program and new resource centers. In addition, campaign gifts to the university’s endowment have strengthened its long-term financial outlook. (See chart, right.)
     Of the $628 million contributed in support of the campaign, $152 million came in the form of unrestricted funds to help underwrite the cost of constructing the Collaborative Research Center. Members of Rockefeller’s Board of Trustees contributed a significant portion of the unrestricted funds. Gifts to the endowment totaled $125 million.
     In all, more than 4,000 donors made nearly 12,000 gifts to the university. Among them were 92 gifts of at least $1 million, including 11 gifts of $10 million or more. David Rockefeller, honorary chair and a trustee of the university for over 70 years, committed more than $100 million to the campaign, making the largest single private gift in the university’s history. The Starr Foundation made several grants, including one of $50 million, the largest foundation grant ever received at Rockefeller.
     “The university is blessed with benefactors who are passionate about science and who understand that an investment in science at Rockefeller can yield incalculable benefits to human health,” says Vice President for Development Marnie Imhoff. “In addition, many of our friends have been generous with their time as well as their financial resources. The university’s Board of Trustees, The Rockefeller University Council and the Committee on Trust and Estate Gift Plans, as well as active volunteer groups such as Women & Science, Parents & Science and Bridges to Better Medicine, have all been essential to the success of the campaign.”
     The Campaign for Collaborative Science was the most ambitious fundraising effort in the university’s history. “Philanthropy to Rockefeller was taken to an entirely new level,” notes Trustee Judith Berkowitz, chair of the Board’s development committee. “Our trustees and friends have been extraordinarily supportive of our campaign, especially in years of economic uncertainty. Because of their commitment and generosity, the future of the university looks brighter than ever.”
     Dr. Tessier-Lavigne is currently working closely with a campus committee to draft a new strategic plan for the university, and a new fundraising campaign linked to its proposals will be unveiled in 2012.