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Saint Louis University Announces Record Fundraising Total

02/07/2018

Saint Louis University President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., announced today that SLU received $56.7 million in gifts from July through December 2017, the most money the University has ever raised in the first six months of a fiscal year. This six-month total also tops annual fundraising totals for all but one year in the University’s history.

Aerial view of northern SLU campus

“During our bicentennial year, this record-setting giving from our donors shows the commitment and dedication they have for Saint Louis University and it distinct mission,” said Pestello. “It reflects their support of the strategic direction of the University.”

The $56.7 million includes major gifts, as well as more than 7,400 gifts of less than $10,000.  A majority of the gifts were given in support of academics, health and medicine and scholarships.

“Our alumni and donors are extremely generous, but their giving this fiscal year has exceeded even our lofty expectations,” said Sheila Manion, vice president for development. “I have a talented development and alumni relations staff, and they have engaged our alumni and donors like never before.”

In addition to gifts from alumni, donations from corporations, foundations and non-alumni are all at record levels, with six months remaining in the fiscal year.

“There is no doubt that 2017-2018 totals will far surpass the previous fundraising record of $65 million in 2005-2006," said Pestello. “I want to thank our donors for their support of our students, our faculty and our distinctive academic and patient care programs.  I applaud Sheila and her staff for their many successes and, thanks to them, there is more to come.”

For additional information or media inquiries, call Clayton Berry at (314) 977-7117.

Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers nearly 13,000 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the University’s diverse community of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place.