Spelman College launched a $250 million campaign to invest in endowed professionals, scholarships and innovation initiatives, a press release states.
The campaign coined Spelman Ascends is the largest of its kind that the educational institution has led. In the last three years, donors have made gifts to Spelman amounting to $240 million. Spelman is looking to raise $250 million total by 2024 and the college is on track to achieving their goal.
“Our ability to surround our students with committed faculty, a challenging yet loving environment and a rigorous innovative academic experience is a direct result of our dedicated community of supporters,” said Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell in a statement.
Funds from the Spelman Ascends campaign will also be used to increase financial aid for students, funding a technology and operational infrastructure and building a Center for Innovation & the Arts that will house programs in the arts, innovation and entrepreneurship, a press release states. The campaign supports other academic programs in the Atlanta region including the Center for Black Entrepreneurship, a collaboration with Morehouse College and the Black Economic Alliance.
Some generous donors of Spelman Ascends include MacKenzie Scott, Reed Hastings, Patty Quillin, the estate of Joan B. Johnson and alumnae of the institution who put up $17.5 million alone. Campaign contributors celebrated the launch of Spelman Ascends by sharing why they are invested in the college’s upcoming initiatives.
