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Leadership Giving through The Stanford Fund

You can have a powerful impact on students’ lives and inspire others to give back.

Students smile on campus

When you make a leadership gift through The Stanford Fund, you help create exceptional experiences for today’s undergraduates. Through your generosity, you open doors of opportunity to students from the widest possible range of backgrounds. In turn, each student brings to Stanford different passions and perspectives, talents, and life experiences. Such a varied and exciting learning environment benefits all undergraduates and ultimately makes Stanford itself stronger.

Your gift also helps make it possible for the university to meet its historic pledge of access for all qualified students. Leadership gifts play a critical role in filling the gap between the amount of financial aid that’s available from endowed scholarship funds and the total need of today’s students. In some cases, Stanford Fund scholarships meet a student’s entire need; in others, Stanford Fund dollars are added to endowed scholarship funding to complete a student’s financial aid package.

The impact of your annual leadership gift through The Stanford Fund is immediate and significant: A gift of $10,000 exceeds the annual payout of a $175,000 endowed fund. Such funding is vital for creating a rich and vibrant learning environment that benefits all students.

Leadership giving levels and benefits

Annual donors who give most generously through The Stanford Fund are recognized at the following levels:

President’s Fund

  • $10,000 or more

    Giving levels for recent graduates
    Levels are scaled based on the number of years since the donor’s graduation date.

    • 0 to 4 years: $1,000 or more

    • 5 to 9 years: $5,000 or more

    • 10 or more years: $10,000 or more

    A gift of $25,000 or more establishes a Stanford Fund scholarship.

    • Invitation to an annual President’s Fund reception

    • Invitation to a recurring webinar series highlighting the people and programs receiving support through The Stanford Fund

    • Access to a campus liaison who can answer questions about your giving as well as provide program updates and information on funding priorities

    • Special communications throughout the year

    • Inclusion in The Stanford Fund honor roll of supporters

    • If your gift is $25,000 or more, you will establish a Stanford Fund scholarship and have the opportunity to hear from and get to know your student recipients.

    Learn more about establishing a Stanford Fund scholarship

Leadership Circle

  • $1,000 to $9,999

    Giving levels for recent graduates
    Levels are scaled based on the number of years since the donor’s graduation date.

    • 0 to 4 years: $100 to $999

    • 5 to 9 years: $500 to $4,999

    • 10 or more years: $1,000 to $9,999

    • Access to a campus liaison who can answer questions about your giving as well as provide program updates and information on funding priorities

    • Invitation to a recurring webinar series highlighting the people and programs receiving support through The Stanford Fund

    • Special communications throughout the year

    • Inclusion in The Stanford Fund honor roll of supporters

Parent and Family Partners

  • $2,500 or more from families of current undergraduates

    Learn more about the Stanford Parent and Family Engagement program

    • Invitations to special events, including a Parent and Family Partners reception during Family Weekend

    • Invitation to a recurring webinar series highlighting the people and programs receiving support through The Stanford Fund

    • Access to a campus liaison who can answer questions about your giving as well as provide program updates and information on funding priorities

    • Special communications throughout the year

    • Inclusion in The Stanford Fund honor roll of supporters

Leadership donors provide critical support

Year after year, donors who make leadership gifts through The Stanford Fund bridge the gap between endowed scholarships and other sources of financial aid. Leadership gifts allow Stanford to keep its historic promise to students.

Year over year graph

Your leadership matters

Stanford changed the trajectory of my life, and that’s why I give back. I want others to see that giving makes a real difference. The ability to empower someone who couldn’t otherwise afford a Stanford education is exciting and fulfilling.

Sunaina Sinha, ’03, MS ’04, Founder and Managing Partner of Cebile Capital

Sunaina Sinha