Hundreds of Columbia University students protesting Israel over the war in Gaza remain in a tent encampment on the university campus in Manhattan July 22, 2024. The students occupied a portion of the campus last week amid protests over the war in Gaza. © Seth Harrison/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK
(New York, NY) – Columbia University saw a big drop in donations during its annual “Giving Day” fundraiser, which brought in $21.4 million in 2024. This was almost 29% less than the $30 million raised in 2022. The number of donations also fell by 28%, from 19,229 gifts in 2022 to 13,870 in 2024, the lowest since 2015. According to the Columbia Spectator, this decline is linked to concerns over pro-Palestine protests on campus.
The Giving Day event in 2023 was postponed due to the October 7 Hamas attack and the demonstrations that followed. Despite the overall drop in donations, the athletics department raised a record $4.6 million, the highest among all departments. Columbia College, which usually raises the most, came in second with $3.5 million, and the School of Engineering and Applied Science was third with $3.2 million.
Columbia has faced criticism for how it handled the campus protests, and the Department of Education investigated the school for civil rights violations in late 2023. Protests resumed in September 2024 as the new school year began.
