Philanthropic Support for Higher Education.

Overview & Synopsis

This report examines trends in voluntary support for higher education between 1980 and 1994 based on analysis of the Council for Aid to Education's annual survey on voluntary support of education. It reviews how philanthropic support for higher education compared with support for other charities and how this level of support changed over time. It also identifies categories of major donors and how the philanthropic dollars were used by higher education institutions. All figures are presented in constant 1994 dollars. It was found that 1994 contributions to higher education total $12.4 billion; 9.5 percent of all tax deductible contributions for the year. Between 1980 and 1994, general charitable giving increased by 26 percent; for institutions of higher education, a 55-percent increase was found; this outpaced inflation. Since 1989, higher education increases have averaged only 2 percent per year. In 1994, 28 percent of voluntary, higher education contributions came from alumni, followed by nonalumni (23 percent), foundations (21 percent), and corporations (20 percent). In 1994, 72 percent of higher education support was used by institutions of higher education for current operating expenses such as salaries and student financial aid. It is concluded that individual donors are a major source of support that must be cultivated in the currently graduating generations. (Contains 11 references.) (NAV)