Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Temple University<\/a>, which faces a budget deficit and challenging financial headwinds, received a record amount of donations in the last fiscal year, putting the institution ahead of its fundraising goals in the first full year under the leadership of a new president.<\/p>\n The North Philadelphia<\/a> school received $214 million in donations in fiscal year 2026, more than 60% greater than the prior year\u2019s annual fundraising total and well ahead of its goal of $160 million.<\/p>\n Included in that total and achieved during president John Fry\u2019s tenure are major donations, including the single largest gift the school has received, $55 million <\/a>from university trustee Christopher Barnett to rename the College of Public Health, and a substantial but undisclosed amount from Jane Creamer Sullivan to establish a new honors college, which will enroll students beginning in fall 2027. <\/p>\n They were among 38 donors who gave $1 million or more to the university, up from 24 the year before.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Temple University receives record $55 million gift from an alum who almost didn\u2019t get accepted<\/a><\/p>\n Fry in an interview credited a new fundraising chief, a strategic plan<\/a> with clear fundraising goals, and the involvement of deans and other senior leaders in the fundraising process at Temple, which enrolls 33,000 students across its U.S. and international campuses. <\/p>\n \u201cThe difference from where we were in late \u201924 to today is kind of night and day,\u201c Fry said. \u201dOur priorities as an institution are clearer. \u2026 We have a lot of engagement from our deans and senior leadership and trustees, and I think we\u2019re developing a much more disciplined approach to donor relationships.”<\/p>\n The increased fundraising comes at a pivotal time for Temple, allowing it to invest in academics and student supports while also coping with a budget crunch. The university laid off<\/a> about 40 employees earlier this month as part of an effort to close what now stands as a $25.5 million deficit in the 2026-27 budget. <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Temple University will lay off employees and raise tuition for the second consecutive year<\/a><\/p>\n Fry noted that the school cannot use donor funds to plug the deficit because they are restricted, but said the money allows the school to continue to invest.<\/p>\n \u201cThe philanthropy that we\u2019re able to to garner right now allows us to address priorities that we wouldn\u2019t be able to address otherwise,\u201d Fry said.<\/p>\n The Barnett gift, for example, has helped create an \u201cessential needs hub\u201d <\/a>to help support students who are struggling with financial and other needs.<\/p>\n Next for the university is the public launch of what is likely to be a $1.5 billion fundraising campaign kicking off in the next two years and concluding in 2034, when the school celebrates its 150th anniversary. Temple already has raised $340 million during the quiet phase of that campaign, including the $214 million raised in the last fiscal year.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Temple has released its plan for the next decade. See what the North Philadelphia university has in mind. <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis is no declaration of victory,\u201d Fry said. \u201cI think it\u2019s a declaration of progress. \u2026 It\u2019s a good, strong start.\u201d <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Temple University will lay off employees and raise tuition for the second consecutive year<\/a><\/p>\n A renewed focus on alumni giving<\/p>\n Fry identified fundraising as an area for reform at Temple almost as soon as he arrived, saying that a school of Temple\u2019s stature with more than 380,000 living alumni \u2014 more than half of whom live and work in the region \u2014 should be raising more than it was.<\/p>\n He said at the time there was no reason that Temple should not be in the same league as schools such as the University of Delaware, which had announced a gift in excess of $71 million<\/a>. Pennsylvania State University, which has more than twice the enrollment of Temple, announced earlier this month that it had raised $662.7 million <\/a>in 2025-26.<\/p>\n The university\u2019s previous fundraising record was $133 million in fiscal year 2025, and prior to Fry\u2019s arrival in November 2024, Temple raised about $95 million annually on average from 2014 to 2024, the school said.<\/p>\n