While giving to JMU has been on a steady upward and often record-breaking trajectory with year-over-year increases for the last eight years, the jump from FY21 to FY22 represented a change in an order of magnitude. The trend coincides with the eight years of Unleashed: The Campaign for James Madison University, which also concluded on June 30.
“What we saw this year was the power of people believing together,” said Nick Langridge (’00, ’07M, ’14Ph.D), vice president of university advancement. “With the Warden Scholarship Match, Dukes Unite, Women For Madison, Giving Day and so many elements of the Unleashed campaign, it happened several times this year. We defined a priority, with a clearly stated goal, a demonstrable outcome and an urgent timeline. Then what happened next epitomizes what we know about JMU. A sense of purpose and unity drove giving to new heights, it felt like a family rallying to provide care and to pave the road forward.”
Another big reason for this year’s increase was the $11.4 million contributed by corporations and foundations. JMU’s largest-ever grant of $2 million from a private foundation came from the Mellon Foundation to preserve the digital future of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, the nation’s first academic center devoted to Black poetry.
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Giving to JMU has been on a steady trajectory since Unleashed: The Campaign for James Madison University launched eight years ago. |
At $6.2 million, athletics also saw an overall giving increase in FY22, due in large part to donors who stepped up to help make JMU’s acceptance of the Sun Belt Conference’s invitation more feasible financially. Giving was up by $2.1 million from $4.1 million in FY21.