Clemson Family gives record-breaking $202M+ for scholarships, fellowships, endowments and more

The generosity and commitment of the Clemson Family led to another historic year of philanthropy with more than $202 million raised during the 2021 fiscal year.

Gifts were secured from July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021 and created 115 new scholarships and fellowships and 85 new endowments. The total cash to endowment was nearly $24 million. Principal gifts included 21 gifts of $1 million or more, and unrestricted dollar donations breached the $3.6 million mark.

I am grateful to all of our donors who stepped up during a difficult year. Thanks to your generosity, we exceeded all of our fundraising goals and set a new record for the university. I am especially grateful to Billy and Ann Powers for their transformative gift – the largest in Clemson’s history. Thank you for supporting us through the challenges of 2020 and for helping move Clemson forward.

JIM CLEMENTS, CLEMSON UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of record-breaking moments occurred. There were four Academic Cornerstones, including a $60 million gift from Wilbur O. and Ann Powers — the largest gift ever given to Clemson and one of the largest gifts to an institution of higher education in South Carolina; a $3 million gift to the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities from Laura and Bill Pelham ’77 and M’81; and a $2.5 million gift from Amy and Mitchell “Micky” Scott ’75 — the first Academic Cornerstone given to the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences.

Six Athletic Cornerstone Partners joined the group of visionary donors making significant gifts to IPTAY and Athletics.

“Our IPTAY donors continue to answer the call in support of our nearly 500 Clemson student-athletes. Through their generosity, the ‘One-IPTAY’ enterprise marked a record fundraising year of $76.3 million in contributions,” said Davis Babb, chief executive officer of IPTAY. “This gift total is comprised of gifts to our annual fund, major giving and planned giving efforts. These donations are essential to the success of our 19-sport athletic program and directly support our student-athletes by way of scholarships, academic support services, strength and conditioning, life skills, facility initiatives, nutrition services and more.”

Alumni participation was 16.86% and support was strong as witnessed by the contributions of loyal donors, including a $1.25 million gift from Emily Peek Wallace ’72 given to the College of Science to establish its first endowed directorship.

“Our donors and supporters didn’t just adapt to the challenges this past year; they found a way to engage with our students, faculty and staff, supporting the Clemson Experience and programs dear to their hearts. This is demonstrated in the fundraising results. We appreciate and thank each one of them” said Brian O’Rourke, vice president for Development and Alumni Relations. “In the midst of video meetings and social distancing, Clemson University received its largest donation to date, along with a number of new gifts and endowments. This shows the passion and commitment of the Clemson Family and their investment in our students and the future of the University.”

A total of 34,628 donors contributed 92,127 gifts to compose the $202,396,430 amount.