Vanderbilt Fund
The Vanderbilt Fund proudly continues a long tradition of support for the law school and its programs through annual giving programs.
Gifts designated for the law school through the Vanderbilt Fund provide nearly a million dollars in unrestricted assistance each year. These resources provide essential support for all of the activities that enable the law school to set the gold standard for legal education.
The Vanderbilt Fund represents the steady and ongoing support received by the law school each year from alumni, friends, parents, faculty, staff, law firms and businesses worldwide. Your yearly contributions to the Vanderbilt Fund help bridge the gap between tuition revenue and the full cost of a law school education. Gifts through the Vanderbilt Fund are "unrestricted," which means they are not designated toward any particular fund or purpose, and thus may be allocated immediately to meet the law school’s most pressing needs. All gifts to the Vanderbilt Fund count toward the university-wide Shape the Future Campaign.
Why your annual gift is important to the law school
Mirroring Vanderbilt's fiscal year, the Vanderbilt "fund year" begins July 1 and ends June 30. The law school encourages all alumni and friends to contribute to the Vanderbilt Fund each year to ensure a dependable and ongoing source of support to provide for the law school’s annual operating budget and other important needs. Your annual gift serves as a continuing endorsement of the law school, strengthening its visibility and prestige worldwide.
How you benefit from giving through the Vanderbilt Fund
The most important benefit of giving to the Vanderbilt Fund is the knowledge that your gift helps maintain the quality of a Vanderbilt Law School education. Your support is a vehicle through which you can enhance your connection to the law school. Depending on the level at which you choose to participate, you may qualify for membership in the law school's annual leadership donor society, the Founders Circle. A gift of at least $1,000 to the law school qualifies you for a year-long membership in the Founders Circle.
Your gift to the Vanderbilt Fund, regardless of the amount, is essential to the law school's continuing success. With more than 7,500 alumni, even a $100 gift from every law school graduate would make a significant impact. One of the criteria that various ranking entities use in their rankings of top law schools is alumni giving participation rates and amounts.
Currently, approximately 30% of alumni give to the law school each year. Giving for the 2006 fiscal year was $937,000, and the vast majority of those gifts were $200 or below.
While this is a mark to be celebrated, our Vanderbilt Fund income is small compared to other top 20-law schools. With assistance from each of you, we can help Vanderbilt Law School remain strong and continue to provide a topnotch legal education in a uniquely collegial environment.
