Education

GoFundMe has helped K–12 teachers launch 72,000 campaigns and raise $33.8 million to date. To celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week this week (May 1-5), the global crowdfunding platform, in partnership with Yoobi, launched a $100,000 national contest called “We Love Teachers,” which will provide 100 teachers donations up to $1,000. To be eligible, teachers must:…

Donald P. Bellisario, a 1961 Penn State graduate and the creator of programs who changed the landscape of American television, has made one of the largest gifts in the history of the university. The acclaimed writer, producer and director of shows such as "Magnum P.I.," "Quantum Leap" and "NCIS" has committed $30 million to support communications…

Joan McGrath and her husband, Robert, have donated $10 million to the University of San Francisco to dramatically expand scholarships for Catholic school teaching programs at USF’s School of Education, create a new multidisciplinary student leadership institute and endow scholarships for undergraduate students to enroll in international immersion opportunities. The McGrath gift represents the largest…

Southeastern Louisiana University receives a $10 million bequest, the largest single donation in its history. SLU spokesperson Mike Rivault says Seth Ryan, a graduate from the Class of 1953, became an anonymous donor 15 years ago. He says Ryan donated much of his estate to the university when he passed away several weeks ago. “Because…

With a $24 million gift to fund the comprehensive renovation of the historic Wilson Hall, Brown University will transform one of its most heavily trafficked undergraduate academic buildings into a state-of-the-art facility for teaching and learning in the heart of its College Hill campus. The gift from the Richard A. and Susan P. Friedman Family…

Eight community organizations, each partnered with a local school district, will each receive a 6-year $600,000 grant as part of a larger effort to spur the post-secondary educational aspirations of rural middle- and high-school students, the Lerner Foundation announced Monday. “Too many young people in rural Maine are missing out on opportunities to reach their…

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has provided a total of $5.2 million to the Australasian Gastro Intestinal Research Foundation and the Chinese University of Hong Kong to study environmental factors that influence the development of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), which have been rising in Asia. The 3-year grants will support researchers in Hong…

The George Lucas Family Foundation has granted the USC School of Cinematic Arts with a second endowment of $10 million to provide financial support to African-American and Hispanic students, raising the foundation’s student diversity support effort to $20 million. The foundation was established at the school in the fall 2016 semester with an initial $10…

The Clark Charitable Foundation has made an $8 million gift to the George Washington University to expand an engineering scholars program that rewards SEAS students with financial assistance, professional development and leadership and networking opportunities. The Clark Engineering Scholars Program began in 2011 with an $8 million gift from the late A. James Clark, a…

DonorsChoose.org, the nonprofit organization dedicated to funding children’s educational needs, launched its Student Life Essentials Program earlier this year. Prior to the launch, DonorsChoose conducted a survey that included 2,000 teachers who were from high-poverty schools throughout the nation...