Is your college no longer the place you remember? Has it failed to protect free speech? Has it abandoned rigorous general education requirements? Alumni know the value of academic excellence and academic freedom—and they care about their colleges and universities. They give several billion dollars each year to their alma maters and are the largest private source of support for higher education. But writing blank checks year-after-year only enables the status quo. We help alumni reach out to faculty and university officials, structure their giving, and be effective agents for a long overdue course correction at their institutions.
Achieve Your Philanthropic Objectives
Too often, giving to a school’s general fund or endowment means underwriting an unacceptable status quo—weak curricula, campus speech codes, and administrative bloat. But through targeted giving, aimed at supporting the best our colleges have to offer, donors can be leaders in a renewal of our institutions of higher education.
Craft a Targeted Gift: The Fund for Academic Renewal (FAR)
FAR guides donors through the giving process, helping them to advance their vision for meaningful higher education philanthropy. In addition to helping donors locate programs worthy of their support, FAR also serves as a resource for donors to help them understand gift agreements, implement gift conditions, and monitor the impact of their giving. Visit the FAR website at AcademicRenewal.org.
Alumni to the Rescue: Funding Oases of Excellence
On campuses across the country, faculty-led programs are promoting the study of American history, Western Civilization, and the Great Books. ACTA designates these programs as Oases of Excellence, and we encourage alumni to direct their giving to support these outstanding centers that change the culture of the academy from the inside. Learn more about our Oases of Excellence initiative.
Stay Apprised of Higher Education Issues
Through our quarterly newsletters Inside Academe and College Donor Quarterly, publications, press releases, and media appearances, ACTA keeps alumni informed about what is really happening on campus. ACTA’s ATHENA Roundtable, our annual signature event, brings together alumni, individual donors and foundations, trustees, and national leaders in higher education to discuss academic excellence, academic freedom, and accountability.
Launched in 1995, we are the only organization that works with alumni, donors, trustees, and education leaders across the United States to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives an intellectually rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.
Discover MoreSign up to receive updates on the most pressing issues facing our college campuses.