VP for Development's Report

Tom Baird's portrait

The generosity and support of our wonderful donor community continuously energizes and inspires me, but this past year has been especially gratifying.

I’m delighted to report that donors gave to the University of Michigan in record fashion during FY 2022, with the university receiving $515 million in total cash gifts, the highest in U-M history and the first time that cash gifts topped $500 million.

The giving was widespread across the university, with generous gifts from donors at every level. Almost 100,000 donors gave gifts of $25,000 or less, and 125 donors gave $1 million or more.

We are especially pleased that 29 of U-M’s schools, colleges and units received gifts at or above FY 2021 totals. Gifts to support students, such as scholarships, fellowships and student success programs, totaled a record-setting $233 million.

Fred and Judy Wilpon

Among those gifts was a $40 million endowment from the Fred and Judy Wilpon Family Foundation for the Kessler Family Scholars program for first-generation college students in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Founded 13 years ago, Kessler Scholars supports 157 students across all four years of their undergraduate academic career and uses research-based support to raise graduation rates of first-generation students. Announced last October, the new endowment funds the program in perpetuity.

In the spring, an $11.5 million gift was made to Michigan Medicine’s Kellogg Eye Center by James Grosfeld, an investor, philanthropist and former chairman and CEO of PulteGroup Inc. Grosfeld’s gift will establish two endowed professorships focused on researching dry age-related macular degeneration — or AMD — as well as a new facility for working with pluripotent stem cells for use in AMD-related research across disciplines. AMD is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in people older than 50.

Other gifts included support for:

  • The Tishman Center for Social Justice and the Environment within the School for Environment and Sustainability.
  • Construction of a new home for the Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning.
  • Building the Leinweber Computer Science and Information building to house Michigan Engineering’s Computer Science and Engineering Division and the School of Information.
rendering of the new Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning building

These are just a few of the many gifts to support a wide variety of passions from our community of donors. We are grateful for their confidence in the university’s mission and purpose. That steady support carries us through challenging times and helps uphold U-M’s position among the top universities in the world.

Thank you for your commitment to U-M and for giving me the opportunity to help advance our mission.

Go Blue!

Tom Baird’s signature
Thomas A. Baird
Vice President for Development