The year in philanthropy
Even in a challenging year, generous donors continued to light the way forward with philanthropic gifts of all sizes to support our students, faculty, research, patient care, and the community.
Support for our students
- A proud alumnus and parent of two ’Canes, Jeff Brown, along with his wife Tracy, made a $1 million gift to create a pair of endowed scholarships—at the Miami Herbert Business School and Miami Athletics—to support future students who aspire a University of Miami education.
- Moved by the impact of the pandemic on the arts and passionate about preparing young musicians for success, an anonymous donor stepped forward with a grant to the Frost School of Music to help the school adapt and thrive during the challenges of the 2020-21 academic year.
- A yearslong effort to honor the first generation of Black students who attended the University is no longer just a dream, thanks to a generous gift from Board of Trustees member Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. The gift will make possible an interactive kiosk experience that highlights the trailblazing accomplishments of past, current, and future University of Miami Black students.
Support for our faculty
- As Miami’s tech scene continues to thrive, a grant from the Knight Foundation is expanding the University’s expertise in this area. A $4.3 million grant from Knight leveraged matching funds from Phil and Patricia Frost, who launched our Frost Institutes in 2017, resulting in a $12 million total investment to recruit six endowed chairs at our Institute for Data Science and Computing.
- In total, we added 13 new endowed faculty positions, bringing our total to 60 towards our goal of 100 Talents by our centennial in 2025, and secured $42 million in new endowment commitments.
Accelerating health care preeminence
- In the ultimate expression of gratitude, and with the power to accelerate cancer research and innovative treatments for cancer patients, the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center received an anonymous transformational gift of $126 million—the largest single gift in the University’s history—in honor of Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., director of Sylvester and the Oscar de la Renta Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. To further its impact, the gift has leveraged more than $20 million in matching gifts.
- Combined gifts from the Bernard Osher Foundation and the Mitchell Wolfson, Sr. Foundation generated $2.5 million in support for the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to further advance the Miller School’s vision of empowering healthy individuals, families, and communities.
- The 11th annual Dolphins Challenge Cancer (DCC) attracted 3,000 participated who raised a record-breaking $6.3 million to support Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. The top team fundraising event in the NFL, DCC has raised a total $45.5 million since its start. In addition, the Miami Dolphins announced a $75 million commitment to Sylvester.
Engaging with our alumni community
- By adopting a digital-first approach, total engagements among donors and alumni grew by 12 percent. That included the U’s second annual all-digital, 24-hour One Day, One U Giving Day, where 2,432 donors from around the U.S. and 15 countries donated $1,517,372 to support students, programs, and research.
