Stanford--and the Country--Get Record Donations


More than 72,000 private donors gave Stanford University a total of $911.2 million in fiscal year 2006, setting a record--by a lot. The school raised nearly as much as second-place fundraisers Harvard and Yale combined, the Crimson reports. Stanford officials said they benefited from "very attractive gift" options, part of the Stanford Challenge, a promise to invest not just in undergraduate and graduate education but also in sustainability, K-12 education, health, and "international peace," the Stanford Daily reports .

Schools across the country also saw a boon; according to a national survey, donations to American universities rose by 9.4 percent to total $28 billion--a record high, says an industry watcher. A list of the top 10 fundraisers is below the jump.

Top 10 Fundraisers

1. Stanford University ($911.2 million)
2. Harvard University ($594.9 million)
3. Yale University ($433.5 million)
4. University of Pennsylvania ($409.5 million)
5. Cornell University ($406.2 million)
6. University of Southern California ($405.7 million)
7. Johns Hopkins University ($377.3 million)
8. Columbia University ($377.3 million)
9. Duke University ($332 million)
10. University of Wisconsin-Madison ($325.9 million)