Impacting Campaign Priority Areas
Excluding federal and state grants, nearly $112 million of the campaign total was directed to one of four pillars: capital expansion, student experience, the Fisher Fund for immediate impact, and endowment growth.
Restricted giving like scholarship support resonated most strongly with donors and accounted for 45% of non-government grant dollars.
In this section:
- Enhancing Fisher’s Campus (Capital Expansion)
- Shaping the Student Experience
- Immediate Impact: Fisher Fund
- Securing Fisher’s Future: Endowment
Enhancing Fisher’s Campus
Campus Facility Investments
The campaign helped fund major campus upgrades, including Lavery Library's modernization project for a total of $11 million raised with the addition of $5 million from the New York State Higher Education Capital (HECap) Matching Grant Program.
Residential Experience Enhancements
Residential life improved through donor-funded facilities such as Dennis ’72 and Denise Tepas Commons and the Terrace at Tepas Commons; the Hermance Family Chapel of St. Basil the Great; and athletics spaces, including the Player Development Center at Dugan Yard, the Joseph Pellicano Wrestling Pavilion, and the Boyce Family Varsity Weight Room.
Shaping the Student Experience
Significant Foundation Gifts
Restricted giving resonated most strongly with donors and accounted for 45% of non-government grant dollars, including generous support from foundations for the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing and the Wegmans School of Nursing.
Scholarships and Student Support
The Fisher Forward campaign added more than $26 million in new scholarship dollars.
Immediate Impact: Fisher Fund
Fisher Fund Contributions
- Among Fisher Forward’s many accomplishments, the transformation of the Fisher Fund stands out.
- The Fisher Fund boasted $10.2 million committed during the campaign, supporting academics, scholarships, athletics, and student engagement.
A Decade of Unprecedented Growth
- At the start of the campaign in fiscal year 2016, the Fisher Fund raised $318,685.94.
- By the close of Fisher Forward in 2025, the Fisher Fund had reached $1.6 million, reflecting a remarkable decade of growth.
- Strengthening the culture of annual giving was key to sustaining Fisher Forward’s momentum and building the pipeline of engaged donors necessary to advance Fisher’s strategic goals for decades to come.
Securing Fisher’s Future: Endowment
- Fisher Forward raised $34.5 million to enhance the university’s endowment, marking a major fundraising success.
- The campaign established the first endowed faculty position and expanded the number of endowed scholarships to 161.
- Endowment value rose to $161.8 million by FY25, surpassing the $140 million baseline without new gifts, highlighting fundraising impact.
