Columbia donations drop practically 29% in wake of anti-Israel protests

Columbia College noticed donations at its annual fundraiser drop practically 29% after the spate of anti-Israel protests on campus earlier this 12 months.

The annual “Giving Day” occasion introduced in $21.4 million in 2024, in comparison with $30 million in 2022, the final time the occasion was held, according to campus newspaper Columbia Spectator. Giving Day was postponed in 2023 as a result of Oct. 7 Hamas assault and the following protests.

The Ivy League college additionally noticed an almost 28% drop within the variety of items, falling from 19,229 in 2022 to 13,870, the bottom since 2015, the paper mentioned.

Columbia is coping with a “donor disaster — born out of issues relating to campus protests,” in line with the Spectator.

The variety of items climbed for 10 straight years earlier than this 12 months’s plummet.

Essentially the most cash got here from the athletics division, which raised $4.6 million, a file for the division. Columbia Faculty, which had been within the prime spot for 11 years in a row, dropped to second, elevating $3.5 million. The Faculty of Engineering and Utilized Science got here in third place, elevating $3.2 million.

“Columbia is lucky to have a devoted group of alumni, mother and father and mates who acknowledge the influence their monetary donations, volunteer time, skills, recommendation and mentoring make in aiding college students and supporting the mission of the college and its colleges,” a Columbia spokesperson mentioned. “Their participation and help is ongoing and sincerely appreciated, and so they proceed to make sure the continued success of the college.”

The college has confronted criticism for its mishandling of the demonstrations.

Anti-Israel protests resumed in September because the 2024-2025 faculty 12 months commenced.

Columbia was one of many Ivy colleges to be investigated by the Division of Training for civil rights violations beneath Title VI in December.