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The Stanford Fund 2022-23 Impact Report

Every student, every year

You help ensure that every undergraduate—all 7,000-plus—can benefit from the best Stanford experience possible and contribute to a brighter future.

Thank you for your generosity and for the many ways you show your support as a member of the Stanford community.

Find your name on the honor roll (external link)

See the impact of your collective giving

Financial aid (external link)
Student life (external link)
Academics (external link)
Service (external link)
19,300 donors

You created a vibrant living and learning environment, together

Year after year, alumni, parents, and friends have helped open Stanford’s doors to the next generation of promising and exceptional students. This partnership and the support of this community are more valuable now than ever before. Last year, more than 19,000 alumni, parents, and friends came together to support undergraduates. Of this total, 65 percent were alumni, 18 percent were alumni celebrating a reunion, 12 percent were parents of current students or alumni, and 5 percent were friends.

$27.1 million raised, 12% student life, 76% financial aid, 12% academics

You helped students realize their full potential, within and outside the classroom

Stanford is always evolving to meet the needs of students in a changing world. Gifts through The Stanford Fund provide the flexibility and resources required to ensure that every student is supported in their academic advancement, personal growth, and well-being. Together, Stanford Fund donors provided $27.1 million in funding for need-based financial aid, world-class academics, and programs that help students connect and thrive outside of the classroom. The majority of dollars raised, 76 percent, were allocated to financial aid. Of the remainder, 12 percent of dollars supported student life and 12 percent supported academic programs.

Financial aid: expanding access and opportunity

You sustain one of the nation’s most comprehensive financial aid programs.

“I’ve always wanted to study at Stanford, but so many times in the past I looked at the cost and felt so intimidated. Because of donors like you, now I get a chance to make the most out of this world-class opportunity. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of this! I hope to pay it forward in the future.”

Benny Pan, ʼ26

Benny Pan
1 in 3

1 in 3 undergraduates pays zero tuition

Stanford offers need-based financial aid that makes it possible for all admitted undergraduates to attend the university—and we do not expect students to borrow to meet their needs. Scholarship support from Stanford fully covers tuition for families with incomes below $150,000. For families with incomes below $100,000, Stanford also covers room and board.

Nearly 50 percent

Nearly half of undergraduate students receive need-based financial aid

You sustain Stanford’s need-blind policy of admitting students based on their achievements and personal potential—not on their ability to pay. The financial aid you make possible through The Stanford Fund is key to fostering a student body that reflects the diversity of our country and our world—undergraduates of all backgrounds and interests coming together to learn about each other and from each other.

More than 80 percent of undergrads graduate debt free

More than 80 percent of Stanford students graduate without any student debt. Those who borrow do so at levels lower than the national average and are more likely to pay off their debt. Stanford Fund donors play a critical role in improving access and affordability for students across the socioeconomic spectrum.

Testimonials

“I am forever grateful for the generosity of Stanford’s donors, which has allowed me to live the best life I could imagine as a student and has given me the opportunity to explore my dream of going to space. I now have the privilege of navigating my higher education career debt free.”

Malek Abu-Shawish, ʼ26

Malek Abu Shawish
380 scholarships

Your gifts through The Stanford Fund provided an additional 380 life-changing scholarships last year

Student life: equipping students to thrive

You promote well-being and level the learning landscape.

The Centers for Equity, Community, and Leadership

The Centers for Equity, Community, and Leadership (ECL) comprise the eight cultural, community, and resource centers on campus: the Asian American Activities Center, the Black Community Services Center, El Centro Chicano y Latino, The Markaz Resource Center, the Native American Cultural Center, Queer Student Resources, the Women’s Community Center, and the First Generation and/or Low-Income Student Success Center. With assistance from Stanford Fund donors, these centers support students throughout their entire Stanford experience—from new student recruitment to alumni engagement. The centers offer physical spaces, resources, and community connections—including opportunities to meet other students, alumni, faculty, staff, and Bay Area community partners—that are empowering for many students.

Video: Several of the community centers offer annual, culturally centered commencement celebrations. View this video to learn more about the 2023 celebration hosted by El Centro Chicano y Latino and hear about the impact of the community centers from students firsthand.

The Leland Scholars Program

The Leland Scholars Program (LSP) offers a bridge from high school to Stanford for promising students who are the first in their families to attend college or who attended under-resourced schools. The program begins with a summer experience and continues with first-year seminars and ongoing academic and advising support. Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, LSP has improved access to the program by offering a virtual summer option and met increased demand by expanding enrollment capacity.

Read reflections and insights from past program participants.

The Opportunity Fund

Gifts through The Stanford Fund increase the number of grants distributed through the Opportunity Fund, a resource available through the First Generation and/or Low-Income Student Success Center (FLISSC). Your support helps FLISSC assist students with expenses that are not covered through traditional financial aid, such as laptop repairs, living costs associated with summer internships, and critical medical, dental, and mental health services. The Opportunity Fund plays a vital role in meeting the unexpected needs of FLI students and alleviating financial burdens so that they can focus on excelling personally, academically, and professionally.

student groups

The Partnership Program

The Partnership Program connects students with the extended Stanford community by allocating donor funds to student-led organizations. More than 130 student groups—including performing arts clubs, identity-based and cultural groups, and club sports teams—benefit from your annual gift. The variety of groups represents the broad range of student interests and passions on campus. The funding you provide allows students to attend conferences and tournaments, produce art and theater, purchase essential equipment, and host cultural events. 

Video: A short clip from Stanford Light Opera Company's (SLOCO’s) winter 2023 production of Strauss' Die Fledermaus. SLOCO is one of dozens of performance groups that benefit from donor support.

The Solidarity Fund

Since 2020, the Solidarity Fund has served as a resource for students seeking to create innovative programs and promote inclusion and belonging on campus. Last year, your generosity empowered student-run organizations in their efforts to promote justice and equity on campus and celebrate Black culture in our community. In spring 2023, BLACKstage Theater Company put on a production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. At the heart of this show was inclusive casting and a celebration of Black joy in a fairytale setting. BLACKstage creates representation in a typically marginalized space, making theater more accessible to all. Another student group, Stanford FashionX, received funding to host an event highlighting the contributions of Black designers to the fashion industry.

The Office for Military Affiliated Communities

Members of the Stanford military-affiliated community benefit from ongoing assistance as they transition to their life on campus and work to achieve their academic, professional, and social goals. Your contributions enable the Office for Military Affiliated Communities (OMAC) to provide community engagement opportunities and programming for student veterans, their dependents, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets, and others who share a connection with the military community. With your support this past year, OMAC created customized programming for New Student Orientation and year-long community building initiatives.

Mental Health and Well-Being

Stanford Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is dedicated to providing student mental health and well-being services. Gifts through The Stanford Fund help expand appointment capacity to assist students in need and enable the hiring of additional CAPS counselors with specialized experience in areas like substance abuse and addiction support. 

“I am so incredibly grateful for my Stanford undergraduate experience here so far. I truly believe that the people are the most special part of this school. The communities that I have been lucky enough to form through clubs, classes, and my dorms will last forever. The people here push me to be a better person.”

Kristen Fairbank, ʼ24

Kristin Fairbanks

Academics: educating for a life of purpose

You create a supportive environment for students to pursue their intellectual curiosity and become engaged citizens.

COLLEGE (Civic, Liberal, and Global Education)

In fall 2021, Stanford launched a new first-year requirement for undergraduate students. Civic, Liberal, and Global Education (COLLEGE) invites students to reflect on their place and purpose at Stanford, in society, and in the world. Faculty from across the university teach COLLEGE courses, with the goal of encouraging all first-year students to think critically, engage in civil discourse, and consider their rights and responsibilities as local and global citizens. Through a shared curriculum and small group discussions, undergrads develop the skills to wrestle with complex, even controversial issues, in a way that fosters community and civility on campus and beyond. Your gifts through The Stanford Fund underpin the continued success of COLLEGE and sponsor the expansion of the curriculum from two quarters to three. 

Learn more about the transformative impact of COLLEGE on the undergraduate experience.

Undergraduate Schools

Stanford Fund donors provide resources for the School of Humanities and Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability to invest in world-class faculty and instructors and fund inventive programs that elevate the student experience. Your gift ensures that undergraduates—from incoming students to graduating seniors—have the access, opportunity, and resources they need to flourish throughout their higher education journeys. You support the SOAR Mathematics Program, a free one-unit online summer course that helps prepare incoming students to take math courses at Stanford. You enable the hiring of additional teaching assistants and lecturers to meet the needs of increased course enrollment. Finally, you provide funding for senior capstone projects that allow students to apply their skills to real-world challenges, preparing them for leadership and career success. 

Service: you promote public welfare and inspire acts of service

2,233 hours volunteered at community service organizations

$54,475 dollars raised for students

Graduating seniors and recent alumni participated in the third annual Dollars for Doers Challenge last year. Thanks to generous  alumni who sponsored the challenge, seniors and recent graduates were able to unlock $25 in challenge dollars for every hour they volunteered with local nonprofit organizations. Volunteers were then able to direct these contributions to the Stanford communities and programs of their choice.

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Why I Give

“Philanthropy and service are part of my personal values. I gave as soon as I was able, in recognition of what I received and in the hopes that I could help others experience and love Stanford the way that I do. The things I have learned and the people I have met through my Stanford affiliation have poured into my life in such meaningful ways. It is a privilege to give back any way I can.” 

Ekpedeme M. Bassey, ʼ93

Ekpedeme Bassey

“We give through The Stanford Fund because we believe robust academic and extracurricular programs work together in concert to maximize the undergraduate experience. Our daughter’s Stanford journey has been enhanced by wonderful experiences, discoveries, and relationships, made both within the classroom and through activities such as club sports. Supporting The Stanford Fund helps to make such formative opportunities accessible for all undergraduates.”

Elizabeth and Jason Cahilly, Parents ’24

Beth and Jason

“In the years since graduating from Stanford, I’ve come to learn that one of the greatest gifts someone can give you is the opportunity to live up to your own potential. This is why I choose to give and to volunteer my time. We, as a community, have the special chance to come together and invest in the next generation of Stanford students.” 

Jessica Lee, ʼ08

Jessica Lee