UNC announced last month that the university received over $500 million in donor commitments in the most recent fiscal year.

This nearly $50 million improvement over last year marks the third consecutive record fundraising year for UNC.

Vice chancellor for university development David Routh said he believes that excitement surrounding the university has helped fuel these unparalleled fundraising numbers.

“I think we’ve gotten better as a university over the last several years about telling the story of the breadth of incredibly good things that are going on at Carolina,” said Routh.

This announcement came just over a month before the start of Carolina’s public fundraising campaign, which will be announced at a celebration during the weekend of the Carolina-Notre Dame football game on October 7.

Routh claims that private donors are a huge part of making tuition at UNC stay affordable.

‘We’re very concerned about keeping tuition affordable, and we’re very realistic about levels of state support,” said Ruth. “We’re deeply appreciative of the support we get from the state of North Carolina, but if you want to do those new things – those cutting edge things that we know we need to do to stay excellent – we really need private support.”

Some noteworthy donations last year included a $25 million gift of art and endowment funding from Sheldon and Leena Peck to support European and American art collections at the Ackland Art Museum, an $18 million gift from the Shuford family of Hickory to support entrepreneurship in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences, and a $4 million gift from Alice Lehman of Charlotte to support cellular immunotherapy research at the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center.

Related Stories
‹
$60 Million Gifts Help UNC Launch Fundraising Drive
Two Greensboro families have donated a combined $61 million to UNC-Chapel Hill.
UNC Rolls Out Fundraising Announcements After Campaign Kickoff
UNC officials spent the weekend rolling out announcements following a major fundraising campaign launch on Friday. “We’re announcing today that our campaign goal is to raise $4.25 billion,” UNC Chancellor Carol Folt said at an event on Friday morning leading to a weekend’s worth of activity. “That is a historic figure,” Folt said. “It’s the […]
UNC Honored for Fundraising Efforts
UNC has been awarded the sustained excellence award in fundraising by the Council for Advancement and Support Education, the university announced Wednesday. Carolina is one of nine public universities recognized for the award. This announcement comes after UNC announced a second-consecutive record-setting fundraising total across the university over the last year. The sustained excellence award […]
UNC Sets Record Fundraising Total...Again
UNC received a record-breaking $495 million in commitments in fiscal year 2016. This is the second consecutive year that UNC set a new fundraising record, eclipsing last year’s total by nearly $50 million. “Today’s results – the highest level of fundraising support in the University’s 222-year history – is a proud moment for Carolina,” said Chancellor […]
UNC Receives Second-Highest Fundraising Total
...a nine-percent increase from the previous year.
Oh, the Humanities: Expedition Asheville!
CPH's Joanna Flynn and Beth Gardiner discuss Expedition Asheville: a full weekend of art workshops, films, talks, and more.
UNC Baseball Dominates in 3-Game Road Sweep at Cal
The Diamond Heels played dominant baseball in a three-game road sweep of Cal in Berkeley during the weekend. UNC never trailed in any of the three games. Friday’s opening game saw Carolina ace Jason DeCaro silence the Bear bats in the early innings. Freshman Tyler Howe provided the game’s first offense with an RBI single […]
UNC Women's Basketball Receives No. 4 Seed in NCAA Tournament, Will Host Games in Chapel Hill
Carmichael Arena will host NCAA Tournament action for the second consecutive season. UNC was revealed as a top 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament Saturday, meaning the Tar Heels will host first- and second-round matchups in Chapel Hill. Carolina will face No. 13 seed Western Illinois in the tournament’s first round Friday. The winner of […]
UNC Men's Basketball Receives No. 6 Seed in NCAA Tournament, Will Face No. 11 VCU in Greenville
The Tar Heels are dancing. Carolina received a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s South Region Sunday evening. The Tar Heels will play No. 11 seed VCU in the tournament’s first round Thursday in Greenville, S.C. The winner of the UNC vs. VCU game will play the winner of No. 3 seed Illinois and […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Beats No. 9 Penn State in Crown Lacrosse Classic
UNC used clutch goals from Dominic Pietramala, Brevin Wilson and Owen Duffy to secure a 10-8 win against No. 9 Penn State at The Crown Lacrosse Classic in Charlotte Saturday night. 🗣️ HEELS WIN#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/0bUNOCDofZ — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) March 15, 2026 Though the three fourth-quarter goals from Pietramala, Duffy and Wilson […]
›