The Every Carl for Carleton campaign was the most ambitious in the college’s history. We set out to raise $400 million and rally our community around four vital priorities: enrolling the best students, improving teaching and learning, preparing students for life and career, and bolstering the annual fund. Together, we exceeded our goals.
Attracting bright, talented, and engaged students takes resources. So does Carleton’s pledge to meet all students’ full demonstrated financial need. Fiercely committed to recruiting and educating a diverse student body that spans both the economic spectrum and the globe, the college raised $154.3 million for Financial Aid during the campaign that will support this goal in perpetuity.
David Ignat ’63 and Eleanor Ignat helped make a Carleton education possible for first-generation and low-income students.
Total $ Raised for Financial Aid during the campaign
Growth in Carleton’s annual financial aid budget since the beginning of the campaign
Carleton offers multiple means of support for students who are first in their families to attend college.
A generous match funded by Barbara Weitz ’70 and Wally Weitz ’70 and their family helped the Every Carl campaign start out $40 million strong.
of Carleton students received need-based Financial Aid in 2020-2021
Alumni and friends pooled resources to challenge Carls to raise funds for financial aid.
“Socioeconomic integration in higher education is a key element to achieving the multifaceted campus diversity to which Carleton is committed.”
— Deborah Appleman, Hollis L. Caswell Professor of Educational Studies
Carleton consistently ranks highly among its peers due, in large part, to the quality of its faculty and the rigor of its teaching. To preserve this high level of distinction and fulfill our academic mission, the Every Carl for Carleton campaign invested $256.6 million to better support our hands-on approach to learning.
A $25 million new music and performance addition unites music with theater, dance, and cinema and media studies at the Weitz Center for Creativity.
“Our faculty need the space and freedom to think carefully about what will work best pedagogically. And that’s a bit of a shifting target, as students evolve and classes need to be constantly retooled to stay fresh and current.”
— President Steve Poskanzer
Carleton’s new, state-of-the-art $80 million science facility inspires creativity, encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration, and aims to attract more students to the STEM community.
The Class of 1969 Makerspace fosters hands-on creativity and experimentation.
Fostering curricular innovation remains core to Carleton’s academic experience.
Thanks to a generous $10 million gift from Michael Hasenstab ’95 and his wife, Mary Ann, Old Music Hall is set to be refurbished and repurposed.
Internships, externships, research, study abroad, and community-based learning give our students valuable perspective and open avenues to future careers. To this end, the Every Carl for Carleton campaign raised $24 million to ensure all students have access to these opportunities regardless of financial status.
Enabling research opportunities for students is core to Carleton’s unique academic experience.
A generous $5 million gift helped propel support for internships.
Total $ Raised for Internships/Externships
Internships help students try on different careers for size as they ponder life after Carleton.
The Career Center’s holistic support helps students determine their path both at and far beyond Carleton.
“Carls benefit hugely from the chance to put ideas into practice, to develop tangible workforce skills, and to immerse themselves in professional work environments. ECFC has opened doors to outstanding career development opportunities for generations of Carls to come.”
— RJ Holmes-Leopold, Director of the Career Center
Total $ Raised for Life and Career Support
As we build for the future, we cannot neglect Carleton’s needs today. Every year the annual fund (including the Alumni Annual Fund, Parents Fund, and the Carleton Friends Fund) provides a critical 6.5 percent of the college’s operating budget, and, thanks to the generosity of alumni, parents, and friends throughout the Every Carl for Carleton campaign, the annual fund has grown from $8.7 million per year in fiscal 2015 to $10.6 million in fiscal year 2021 to meet the most pressing needs of the college.
Gifts to the Alumni Annual Fund provided critical support and flexibility to Carleton during turbulent times.
Total $ Raised for the Alumni Annual Fund during the ECFC campaign
Total money raised during FY21 alone
“The annual fund supports the world-class education that Carleton provides. It allows us to be nimble with spending in ways that the endowment isn’t meant to. Gifts to the endowment might be of a bigger magnitude, but the flexibility of annual fund gifts is really important.”
— Austin Lau ’05, Alumni Annual Fund Board Chair
Alumni, parents, and friends donated to the Annual Fund during the ECFC campaign
of Carleton Alumni gave to the AAF during the ECFC campaign
A profile of alumni donor Jessica Brooks ’09 speaking about the importance of giving back.
Growth in the Parents Fund since the start of the ECFC campaign
Engaging young alumni with support from the Schuler Foundation.
