Give to UC Merced Campaign Tops $1.4 Million, Breaking Record for Third Year

By Francesca Dinglasan

January 26, 2025

UC Merced's annual year-end fundraising campaign raised a record-breaking $1.43 million.

Give to UC Merced, the university’s annual year-end fundraising campaign, was the most successful of its 11-year history, garnering nearly $1.43 million from 647 donors. The tremendous show of generosity far exceeded the original goal of $250,000 from 500 donors.

Each year, the UC Merced campaign launches on Giving Tuesday, the worldwide day of charitable giving on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. In 2020, the university’s fundraising effort was extended to encompass the month of December.

From Dec. 3 through Dec. 31, the university community of alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends came together last year to provide philanthropic funding for a variety of campus priorities. UC Merced students, in particular, rose to the occasion, representing the largest share of the campaign’s donors, with 318 current scholars contributing to the fundraising effort.

Top fundraising areas included academics and research ($524,894), scholarships and fellowships ($374,960), student success ($212,912) and medical education ($207,265).

Gift highlights from the 2024 campaign include establishing the first endowed faculty chair in agricultural technology and significant support for medical education students and health scholars. Give to UC Merced also benefitted from several match and challenge gifts offered by donors. These special opportunities, ranging from $1,000 to $25,000 in potential additional funding, incentivized additional giving by offering dollar-per-dollar matches or a new contribution if a goal was met.

“This year set a new record!” said Vice Chancellor and Chief External Relations Officer Ed Klotzbier. “Thank you to all those who believe in the potential of our students, our campus and in UC Merced. We are grateful to be moving Boldly Forward together.”

Final tallies for the 2024 campaign surpassed the Give to UC Merced record of $1.29 million from 616 unique donors set in 2023. In 2022, the campaign raised $952,563 from 573 unique donors. Every dollar raised during Give to UC Merced applies to Boldy Forward, the university's comprehensive fundraising campaign. Boldly Forward aims to raise $200 million by 2030 that supports the campus’s pillars of Leading Through Discovery, Cultivating Healthy Societies and Empowering Student Success.