Every gift makes a difference

Gifts of all kinds help open doors for students and create opportunities that shape their education, careers, and futures. Donor generosity also powers groundbreaking research and innovation, driving discoveries that reach communities across the globe.

Your support fuels the public good Cornell brings to the world—from the next generation of leaders to life-changing medical treatments to technologies that make our planet healthier, safer, and more resilient.

How gifts are put to work

Cornell’s budget is supported by a mix of revenue sources, helping the university fund priorities, protect against financial risk, and remain resilient.

Like all U.S. colleges and universities, philanthropy plays an important role in keeping Cornell’s budget healthy and diverse. There’s more than one way to give, and gifts of all kinds are essential to Cornell and to the public good the university brings to the world.

How philanthropy supports Cornell:

Some gifts go to work right away.

Current-use gifts are used in the year they’re given, providing immediate funding for students, faculty, and programs across the university. These gifts come in all sizes and can be restricted—supporting a specific fund, purpose, or cause—or unrestricted, allowing university leaders to use dollars where they’re needed most.

 

Cornell annual funds are unrestricted, current-use funds that provide maximum flexibility to leaders across the university. They fund major priorities like financial aid, faculty innovation and research, and they shape student experiences on campus and beyond.

 

Explore how annual funds are used

Other gifts build a strong foundation for the future.

Endowed gifts can only be used for purposes designated by the donor. They’re established at a level that ensures steady, enduring funding for the priorities they support. These gifts become part of Cornell’s endowment—a long-term investment that generates earnings each year.

 

An endowment isn’t a fund that can be drawn from freely. Cornell can only use a portion of its annual endowment earnings, and the payout rate is determined by the Cornell University Board of Trustees in accordance with New York State law.

A healthy mix of endowed and current-use gifts allows Cornell to invest in the present while building long-term resilience for the university and its mission.

This balance means Cornell can support students as they pursue new opportunities or experience unexpected challenges. It also means the university can launch urgent research when the world needs answers—while ensuring future generations have access to the same opportunities to learn, grow, and make a difference.

Not all gifts are financial. Alumni and friends contribute time, talent, and expertise that strengthens Cornell and inspires others to get involved. Whether you mentor students, serve on a committee, or share your Cornell story in your community, you help Cornell do the greatest good—for students and for the world.

“I wanted to help another student—any student—be able to get the resources that I was able to have.”
—Emma Rose Connolly ’25
“I want to help remove some of the financial and emotional stress that comes with having student loan debt.”
—Shelly Cerio ’92
“Giving back is what’s going to continue driving the work that is getting done here, what shaped us into who we are.”
—Victor Wu ’25

What’s made possible

When you give to Cornell, you create opportunities for students and faculty to deepen their knowledge, broaden their perspectives, and ask bold questions that spark breakthroughs.

Gifts to the university:

  1. Make it possible for talented students of all backgrounds to attend Cornell.
    Scholarships and financial aid packages that meet full demonstrated need means students can say “yes” to a Cornell education—and to the paths and futures it opens.
  2. Put breakthroughs and discoveries within reach.
    Donors help fund the work of Cornell researchers and students, supporting the pursuit of knowledge, ambitious ideas, and world-changing innovations.
  3. Powers learning and growth on campus, and out in the world.
    Donor support gives students the chance to put their education into practice—through clubs, project teams, global study, research, internships, and other opportunities.
“I want others to have the life-changing experience that I did at Cornell.”
—Terri Denison ’84
“It’s a chance to be part of something bigger, to give back in a way that resonates with my values and helps forge a brighter future for the university community as a whole.”
—Noah Phillips ’24
“Once you change a person’s life, that can change a few other people’s lives, and it keeps on paying forward.”
—Isaac Wong ’00

Why your generosity matters

Your gift to Cornell supports the people, ideas, and work that help Cornell serve the public good.

When you give to Cornell, you:

  1. Transform lives, and the impact ripples outward.
    Scholarships and financial aid reduce debt, expand opportunity, and change the trajectories of students and their families for generations to come.
  2. Help bring discovery and service to the world.
    From cancer patients waiting for new treatments to veterans rebuilding their lives, Cornell research and outreach creates options, opportunities, and hope for a brighter future.
  3. Sustain Ezra Cornell’s founding vision.
    Ezra Cornell’s “… any person” ideal boldly imagined a university where everyone has a fair chance to learn, work, and build a better future. Gifts to Cornell carry this promise forward.