COLLEGE PARK, Md - Nearly 9,000 supporters of the University of Maryland came together on its annual Giving Day on Wednesday to raise an all-time high $5,306,015 for its academic units, student organizations and initiatives.
The annual 24-hour fundraiser's total exceeded last year's by more than $1 million. Since 2014, Giving Days have taken in more than $26 million.
“I’m inspired by the generosity of this incredible community, and proud of the way we came together to make this yet another remarkable Giving Day,” said university President Darryll J. Pines. “Your gifts will help advance our strategic commitments to reimagine learning, take on humanity’s grand challenges, invest in people and communities, and partner to advance the public good.”
Supporters gave to more than 400 causes in 28 campus areas, accumulating a total of 11,794 gifts. Donors near and far turned out to show their love for UMD—the farthest gift came from Deepdene, Australia, outside Melbourne: 11,689 miles from College Park.
Maryland Hillel, a hub for Jewish students on campus, raised the most money overall, with a final tally of $1,091,311 from 833 donors, a 144% increase in dollars raised from last year.
"Maryland Hillel’s Giving Day was nothing short of extraordinary,” said Maryland Hillel Executive Director Ari Israel. “Thanks to generous donors, a strong matching fund and support for our new building, we raised over $1 million to strengthen Jewish life at UMD. We achieved this through multiple transformative gifts, dedicated student call-athons, over 15 champion groups rallying support and an incredible student power hour that united our community. This day showcased the passion and commitment of Jewish Terps and our supporters."
The School of Public Health saw the biggest bump in funds raised from last year, up 639%, thanks in large part to a multiyear pledge from SPH Dean's Council member Cory Easton ’85. He and his family made their first major commitment to UMD in establishing a Maryland Promise Program scholarship for students in SPH. It is the largest gift to date to support SPH students in the program. Overall, SPH ranked second among all units for money raised: $727,293 from 239 individual donors.
“SPH has a special community that supports each other and pays it forward, and you can see that thread run through our school on Giving Day and every day,” said Dean Boris D. Lushniak. “These gifts to SPH will transform lives: They will enable brilliant students from tough economic situations to get a Maryland education. They will help ensure that our graduates are ready to lead in doing public health good. I am so grateful, and I hope all of our donors see the impact of their gifts, because it's huge.”
Athletics placed third on the leaderboard for cumulative money raised, with $609,197 from 686 donors.
“We are incredibly thankful to all of our supporters who stepped up on Giving Day 2025 to contribute to Maryland Athletics,” said Damon Evans, the Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics. “Our successes on and off the fields and courts wouldn't be possible without our supportive Terp Nation. We are grateful to everyone who helped make Giving Day 2025 one of the best ever.”
The A. James Clark School of Engineering had the third-largest jump in money raised, after SPH and Hillel, with an increase of 49.57%. Club sports also had the biggest increase in individual donors with 35%, followed by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Academic Affairs and Global Learning, which encompasses several different funds.
Several units also scored big during affiliation-based power hours, earning bonus funding for the most alumni donors, faculty/staff donors or donors in other categories. The College of Arts and Humanities, the College of Education, the Office of Undergraduate Studies and the Division of Student Affairs were the big winners of the faculty/staff power hour.
A variety of social media challenges added to the money raised, asking Terps to post pictures of themselves in their favorite spots on campus or in UMD gear on their travels while tagging the unit they wanted to support for the chance to score them some extra cash. Throughout the day, matches brought in $891,200—the most Giving Day has ever had.
“Our fearless supporters have once again demonstrated in a single day an inspiring commitment to supporting Maryland’s impact for the public good in our state, our nation and our world,“ said Vice President for University Relations Jim F. Harris. “We are grateful for all the ways Giving Day unites so many who are aligned with our mission to provide excellent teaching, research and service.”