In the past couple of months, we’ve noticed how influential rich people who support Ivy League colleges can be. In the past, these wealthy donors usually had a lot of control behind the scenes. They would give money for things like hiring professors, starting programs, building facilities, and constructing stadiums. Sometimes, we see their names on these things, but that’s just a small way they get recognition for their contributions.

Big-Ticket Ivy League Donors Have Recently Been Exercising Their Power Publicly

Recently, some big donors to Ivy League schools have been speaking out on Twitter and in the news. They’re not keeping their opinions private anymore. Instead, they’re criticising their old schools for not handling incidents of antisemitism well.

At Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, the former presidents gave really bad speeches to Congress. They didn’t speak out against students who wanted to harm Jewish students at their schools. Rich donors, like Harvard graduate Bill Ackman and Penn graduate Marc Rowan, put a lot of pressure on their old schools. Because of this pressure, the schools had to let go of their presidents.

Ivy Coach Commends These Big-Ticket Ivy League Donors for Calling for Necessary Change

We at Ivy Coach support Bill Ackman, Marc Rowan, and other major donors (including Cornell University graduate Jon Lindseth this week) who courageously spoke up and urged their former schools to prioritise empathy over legal jargon. The past remarks by Harvard and Penn’s former presidents advocating for the destruction of Jewish people were completely unacceptable, regardless of any context.

The attention given by rich alumni to their Ivy League alma maters has helped clean up things, but it’s also made people more aware of this group of former students who’ve given a lot of money over the years, shaping the schools we see today. So, who are the big donors to our Ivy League schools?

How Ivy League Schools Classify Donors

Ivy League schools don’t publicly share how much money individual alumni donate. That would be considered tacky. Instead, they publish yearly reports on donations, which mention alumni names in different giving categories or special groups. Some Ivy League colleges have societies for alumni who donate a certain amount or give regularly since graduation.

These societies don’t have frequent meetings, if any, but being part of one is seen as prestigious. Plus, since these major donors receive special treatment for their kids’ college applications, they already have quite a few perks, don’t they?

Now, let’s take a look at how each of the eight Ivy League schools categorises their donors. At Columbia University, we’ll also highlight some recent major donors:

Brown University

At Brown University, donations are sorted into these groups:

1. Carrie Tower Society – This is for people who support the Brown Annual Fund. It’s split into different levels: Cum Laude Partners ($1,500 – $2,499); Magna Partners ($2,500 – $4,999); Summa Partners ($5,000 – $9,999); Deans’ Circle ($10,000 – $24,999); Provost’s Circle ($25,000 – $49,999); Chancellor’s Circle ($50,000 – $99,999); President’s Circle ($100,000 or more).

2. The 1764 Society – This is for donors who give every year for three to four years, five to nine years, ten to twenty-four years, and more than twenty-five years.

3. Brown Family Fellows – This is for families of Brown students who donate more than $15,000 each year.

4. College Hill Society – for folks who have included Brown University in their will or life insurance plan.

5. Loyal Bears – are folks who give any amount to the Brown Athletics Sports Foundation for two years in a row.

6. The Inman Page Black Alumni Council – acknowledges donations from Black alumni in this way: $5,000 gets you the George Washington Milford Pin, $7,500 gets you the Ethel Tremaine Robinson Pin, and $10,000 gets you the Inman Page Pin.

Columbia University

Columbia University’s donation page sorts contributions in these ways:

1. The Loyal Blue Society is for donors who give to Columbia for two or more years in a row or set up a recurring gift, no matter the amount.

2. The 1754 Society accepts any amount of donations from people who include Columbia in their will, trust, or estate plan.

3. The Founders Society is for alumni who own companies and spend time mentoring current students.

On the Columbia Core to Commencement Campaign’s website, you can find “Leadership Donors” who have given or pledged more than $1 million to the campaign. Here’s the list:

• William C. Albert CC’65
• Amgen Foundation
• Sally and Donald Anderson
• Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
• Victor H. Auerbach CC’51 ^
• Jennifer and Michael I. Barry CC’89, P: CC’21
• Kyra T. Barry CC’87, P: CC’17 and David B. Barry CC’87, P: CC’17
• Avery and Andrew F. Barth CC’83, BUS’85, P: CC’16
• Leila Bassi BC’00, BUS’00, BC’94 and Luca Bassi BUS’00
• Christine T. and James H. Berick CC’55, P: CC’84, CC’92, SOA’85, LAW’97
• Philip R. Berlinski and Britta W. Jacobson CC’96
• Steffi M. and Robert Berne CC’60, BUS’62
• Harold P. Block CC’62, BUS’66 ^
• David Boies
• Jonathan D. Bram CC’87, P: CC’14, CC’17 and Susan S. Bram TC’87, P: CC’14, CC’17
• Pete L. and Devon F. Briger BUS’99
• Dorothea J. and Sheldon A. Buckler GSAS’52, GSAS’54
• William V. Campbell CC’62, TC’64 ^, P: CC’04, CC’13, SIPA’08
• Lisa L. Carnoy CC’89 and David A. Carnoy SOA’92
• Arnold L. Chavkin CC’74, BUS’77
• Xiaoli Chen and Hongbin Peng P: CC’20
• Lynn L. Chen-Zhang and Charles C. Zhang P: CC’17, CC’20
• Monique L. Cusson and Constantine M. Dakolias SEAS’89, P: CC’23
• Robert S. Denning CC’06
• John C. Doody CC’66
• Marcia Dunn and Jonathan S. Sobel CC’88
• Abigail B. Elbaum CC’92, BUS’94 and Richard K. Elbaum LAW’93
• Joseph H. Ellis CC’64 and Barbara I. Ellis BC’64, GSAS’65
• Louisa and Hua Feng P: CC’24
• Bertram Fields and Barbara Guggenheim GSAS’69, GSAS’76
• Ford Foundation
• Alice and Lawrence N. Friedland CC’47, LAW’49
• Robert L. Friedman CC’64 and Barbara L. Friedman BC’64
• Marilyn Goodman GS’69 ^
• Donald P. Greet CC’53 ^
• Sharon and Peter A. Grossman CC’79, P: CC’05, CC’08, GSAS’07, GSAS’11
• Arthur A. Guffanti CC’67, GSAS’74, GSAS’75
• David R. Halperin CC’65
• Kenneth Hao
• Lucy Haverland and Craig P. Joffe CC’94
• Sandra H.K. Hoffen CC’87 and Howard I. Hoffen SEAS’85
• Felicia A. and Benjamin A. Horowitz CC’88, P: CC’11, CC’16
• Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar L. Tang
• Hua Huang and He Lin P: CC’17, LAW’20
• Shu-Chen Huang and Stanley S. Ko BUS’99, P: CC’23
• George Jiang and Hua Tang P: CC’19, SEAS’23
• John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation
• Anla C. and Mark E. Kingdon CC’71, P: CC’09, CC’16
• Irvine A.S. Laidlaw BUS’65
• Jeannie B. and Jonathan S. Lavine CC’88, P: CC’16, CC’18
• Grace and Nicholas P. Leone CC’88, P: CC’19, CC’22, CC’24
• Ge Li GSAS’90, GSAS’93, GSAS’94 and Ning Zhao GSAS’92, GSAS’95, GSAS’95
• Zheng Lian and Xin Nie P: CC’24
• Zhitang L. Liang and Lei Lu P: CC’20
• Xiaosong Liu P: CC’19
• George W. Mapp CC’66
• Donald L. Margolis CC’63, BUS’65
• Victoria F. and James C. Maroulis CC’88, P: CC’21
• Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation
• Kathleen McCarragher and Paul A. Brooke CC’67, GSAS’72
• Arlene H. and Laurans A. Mendelson CC’60, BUS’61, P: CC’87, CC’89, BUS’89
• Kimberly and Eric A. Mendelson CC’87, BUS’89, P: CC’17, CC’19, BUS’19
• Lisa M. and Victor H. Mendelson CC’89, P: CC’18, CC’20, CC’23
• Philip L. Milstein CC’71, P: CC’09, CC’10, BUS’92, BC’14, BUS’17, BUS’21 and Cheryl G. Milstein BC’82, P: CC’09, CC’10, BUS’92, BC’14, BUS’17, BUS’21
• The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund
• Alexander Navab CC’87 ^
• Gregory J. Palermo CC’72
• Ronnie D. Planalp BUS’86
• Abigail P. Pucker CC’14
• Michael A. Pucker CC’83, LAW’88, P: CC’14
• The Renate, Hans and Maria Hofmann Trust
• The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, Inc.
• Ellen Rosand W: CC’59, GSAS’65, P: CC’88, LAW’94, PS’94, LAW’95
• Guler Sabanci
• John N. Schmitt CC’32 ^
• Sherman Fairchild Foundation, Inc.
• Adam Xiangdong Tan and Christina Tao Zou P: CC’20, CC’24
• Stephen S. Trevor CC’86
• Jue Wang and Chengjian Zhou P: CC’19, SEAS’21
• Walter and Shirley F. Wang BUS’93, P: CC’21, CC’22
• Vivian Wei and Yong An Xu P: CC’17
• Richard E. Witten CC’75, P: CC’10, BUS’15, LAW’15 and Elizabeth Witten TC’97, P: CC’10, BUS’15, LAW’15
• George D. Yancopoulos CC’80, GSAS’85, GSAS’86, PS’87, P: CC’16, LAW’22
• Roger E. Yanow CC’52 ^
• Julie and Alexander Zaks P: CC’17, CC’19, LAW’22
• Anonymous (18)

These lists show people who donated $1 million or more to the Core to Commencement campaign from January 1, 2014, to March 10, 2021.

^ Deceased.

P: Parent.

W: Widow.

Cornell University

Cornell University groups donors like this:

1. The 1865 Society – is for people who give any amount for two or more years in a row.

2. The Tower Club – for those who donate at least $10,000, with different levels: Deans’ Circle ($10,000-$24,999); President’s Circle ($25,000-$49,999); Founders’ Circle ($50,000-$99,999); and Ezra Cornell Circle ($100,000 or more).

3. Cornell Family Fellows – are for parents and families of current students who donate at least $15,000.

4. Cornell Giving Partners – is for donors who give between $1,000 and $9,999.

5. Cayuga Society – for donors who plan to give or include Cornell in their wills.

Dartmouth College

The Dartmouth College Fund has a special program called “Honor Roll” to thank its donors. On the Honor Roll website, you can find a list of all the people who have donated to Dartmouth. Donors are put into different groups:

1. The Harold C. Ripley ’29 Society – includes people who have given money to the Dartmouth College Fund every year since they graduated.

2. Rotman Society/Dartmouth Loyal – contributors are those who have donated to the Dartmouth College Fund for three or more years in a row, or who regularly give money to the fund.

3. The 1769 – Society is made up of donors who give $2,500 or more to the Dartmouth College Fund each year.

4. The Bartlett Tower Society – recognizes people who have included Dartmouth in their wills or estate plans for the future.

Harvard University

The Harvard College Fund has different categories for donations:

1. The 1636 Loyalty Society – is for people who donate to the Harvard College Fund every year.

2. Associates Giving – is for those who give at least $1,000. The levels are:

   – Associates ($1,000)

   – Charter Associates ($2,500)

   – Crimson Associates ($5,000)

   – Leadership Associates ($10,000)

   – President’s Associates ($25,000 or more).

3. Harvard Yard Society – is for donors who offer at least $50,000 for immediate use. The tiers are:

   – Harvard Yard Society Members ($50,000 annually)

   – Harvard Yard Society Partners ($250,000)

   – Harvard Yard Society Fellows ($500,000)

   – Dean’s Fellows ($1 million).

4. The John Harvard Society – a nonprofit, recognizes individuals who have included Harvard College, the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), or the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in their estate planning.

Princeton University

Princeton University does not publicly share its donor categories. On their alumni website, they only differentiate between yearly, planned, capital, corporate and foundation gifts, and “Friends Groups” gifts for specific campus groups. Donors who include Princeton in their will, IRA, insurance policy, bank account, or establish a benevolent trust or charitable gift annuity join the 1746 Society, which has over 2,600 members.

University of Pennsylvania

The Penn Fund splits donations into two groups called “Giving Societies”:

1. Benjamin Franklin Society – This is for people who donate $2,500 or more each year. There are different levels within this society: Associate (for donations between $2,500 and $4,999), Fellow (for donations between $5,000 and $9,999), Founder (for donations between $10,000 and $24,999), and Ambassador (for donations of $25,000 or more).

2. Ivy Stone Society – This is for undergraduate alumni who have donated any amount for three years in a row. There are different levels within this society: Bronze Member (for 3-9 years of consecutive giving), Silver Member (for 10-14 years of consecutive giving), Gold Member (for 15-24 years of consecutive giving), Platinum Member (for 25 or more years of total giving with at least three years of consecutive giving), and Diamond Member (for 25 or more years of consecutive giving).

Yale University

Yale’s fundraising plan groups donors into different categories.

1. Nathan Hale Associates Program – This is for donors who give at least $1,000 every year. It’s split into different levels:

   – Woolsey Associates ($1,000-$4,999)

   – Harkness Associates ($5,000-$9,999)

   – Sterling Associates ($10,000-$14,999)

   – Hillhouse Associates ($15,000-$24,999)

   – Woodbridge Associates ($25,000-$49,999)

   – Elihu Yale Associates ($50,000-$99,999)

   – Fourth Century Associates ($100,000 or more). Donors in the Woodbridge Associates tier and higher are part of the “Nathan Hale Leaders Circle.”

2. Sterling Fellows – These are for donors giving capital gifts of at least $5 million. It’s divided into:

   – The Lanman Circle ($5,000,000-$9,999,999)

   – The Sheffield Circle ($10,000,000-$24,999,999)

   – The Whitney Circle ($25,000,000-$49,999,999)

   – The Harkness Circle ($50,000,000-$74,999,999)

   – The Battell Circle ($75,000,000-$99,999,999)

   – The Mellon Circle (gifts over $100,000,000).

A Final Word on Big-Ticket Donors to the Ivies

Harvard graduate Bill Ackman has been pushing his former university to make changes for several months. His efforts led to the president of Harvard resigning, and we think Ackman deserves credit for leading this effort.

However, Harvard’s board, which we believe should also step down due to its involvement in the former president’s plagiarism scandal, its failure to address antisemitism on campus, and its mishandling of the presidential search process, found itself in a difficult position. They didn’t want to seem like they were giving in to pressure from a major donor, or that the university could be influenced so openly by its supporters. But ultimately, they had no choice because of their lack of integrity and incompetence.

Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see if other big donors feel empowered to challenge their alma maters for change. We’ll also be curious to see how other Ivy League schools respond to similar demands. Stay tuned!