What colleges and universities need from donors to thrive

Philanthropy, which covers an average of 10% of college and university budgets, can help schools and the students who attend them weather today’s tough times.

By: William Blomquist, Indiana University; Genevieve Shaker, Indiana University, and William M. Plater, Indiana University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: October 12, 2026

Words: 1,519

Last Updated: 4 days, 21 hours ago

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By William Blomquist, Indiana University; Genevieve Shaker, Indiana University, and William M. Plater, Indiana University

In 1638, John Harvard, an English-born Puritan minister and teacher in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, bequeathed 400 books and half his £779 estate, today equivalent to roughly US$2 million, to the college that would be renamed in his honor after his death.

In addition to launching America’s oldest university, Harvard’s donation began a tradition of philanthropy for U.S. colleges …

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