Vanderbilt’s Dare to Grow campaign reaches unprecedented $3.2B goal nearly two years early, establishing launching pad for bolder, more far-reaching impact

Vanderbilt University's Dare to Growcampaign, which was launched publicly in spring 2023, has eclipsed its $3.2 billion fundraising goal 20 months ahead of its target date of June 30, 2026, underscoring the generosity of donors, widespread enthusiasm for the university's vision and boundless potential for the future. The news, which Chancellor Daniel Diermeiershared with alumni and supporters during Reunion Weekend, is both a celebration and a call to action as Vanderbilt looks ahead to deepening its impact in Nashville, across the nation and around the world.

"This is a milestone we can all be proud of," Diermeier said. "Thanks to every one of our donors and the team behind the campaign, Dare to Grow is fueling our ambition to become the Great University of the 21st Century. It is changing lives through scholarships, opening doors for research, improving facilities for our student-athletes and fans, and much more. Having seen what we can accomplish together, we will set our aspirations higher and work together to reach them."

The Dare to Grow campaign-which takes its name from the university's motto, Crescere aude-has already made a profound impact on the Vanderbilt community and far beyond. Through generous support from donors, the campaign has facilitated the launch of the Roberts Academy and Dyslexia Center, Dialogue Vanderbilt, the Berg Global Artist-in-Residence programand several other transformative initiatives.

Campaign gifts have provided scholarshipsto undergraduates through Opportunity Vanderbilt, further securing the program's impact and reputation as the nation's gold standard for financial aid. In addition, donors have supported graduate students across the university, including through the Access2VLSneed-based grants at Vanderbilt Law School. The Dare to Grow campaign has raised funds to support students' experiential learning opportunities through internships, study abroad and summer research, as well as extracurricular experiences in student organizations, club sports and more.

Since the public launch of the campaign, more than 138,500 supporters have:

• Contributed approximately $654 million to support faculty and research programs
• Created 161 new endowments to support faculty
• Given more than $452 million to support undergraduate students, establishing 687 scholarships and counting
• Established 489 graduate scholarships and given $230 million for graduate scholarship support

In addition to these academic achievements, the Dare to Grow campaign has revolutionized Vanderbilt's athletics programs through the Vandy Unitedinitiative. With approximately $354 million raised for Vandy United to date, the university has begun work on major facilities and operational enhancements including the Frist Athletics Village, a world-class basketball facilityand ambitious renovations planned for Hawkins Field. Through the Ingram Center for Student-Athlete Successand other efforts, the campaign has also funded scholarships and support programsto ensure that Vanderbilt student-athletes are poised for success both on and off the field.

Collectively, these achievements support all three of the campaign's principal pathways for giving-Destination Vanderbilt, Discovery Vanderbiltand One Vanderbilt-each designed to drive bold new levels of growth.

"Reaching this milestone early reflects our community's profound dedication to Vanderbilt's mission," Provost C. Cybele Raver said. "Through this campaign, we're expanding scholarships, advancing faculty research, and creating new pathways for discovery and collaboration. The impact of Dare to Grow is only beginning, as we work together to shape a future of lasting impact."

Achieving and surpassing an ambitious goal

Reaching the $3.2 billion goal ahead of schedule is a testament to the avid engagement of the Vanderbilt community-from dedicated parents, families and friends, to supporters in Nashville, to alumni across the globe. Already the university has engaged more than 95,000 alumni through its call to "Give, Go, Help, Share." Since spring 2023, Vanderbilt has hosted more than 2,700 guests at Dare to Grow roadshows and salons, which have been held across the country and will continue until the campaign's close in June 2026.

"Vanderbilt's commitment to excellence is palpable not only on campus, but across our network of Commodores," said Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations John Lutz. "Fundraising is a team sport, and the Vanderbilt community has worked together to reach and exceed this extraordinary goal. Now, in true Vanderbilt fashion, we can seize the opportunity to work even harder and drive even more life-changing impact through the end of the campaign and beyond."

Expanding impact through key initiatives

Continued fundraising for the Dare to Grow campaign will support a range of initiatives across the university: from new landmark efforts like the Institute of National Securityand the College of Connected Computing;to powerhouse research programs like the Prenatal to 3 Policy Impact Center and the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research; to school-based interdisciplinary programs like the Energy, Environment and Land Use Program at the Law Schooland the McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies at the College of Arts and Science; to an enhanced presence for Vanderbilt in New York Cityand West Palm Beach.

In addition, ongoing support of the campaign will support even more students through Vanderbilt's signature programs for undergraduates, including residential colleges, Immersion Vanderbilt, Experience Vanderbiltand Opportunity Vanderbilt, which is celebrating its 15-year anniversary and was recently expandedto provide full tuition to all admitted students from households with an income of $150,000 and below.

Looking beyond Vanderbilt: A global impact

The impact of philanthropy at Vanderbilt doesn't end on campus. The ripple effect of the work being done by Vanderbilt faculty and students is felt far beyond the university, benefiting communities locally and globally. Whether it's through the discovery of bench-to-bedside treatments for neurodegenerative diseases at the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, interdisciplinary research and fieldwork addressing our nation's most complex and pressinghealth care inequities, or the launch of a new Black Box Theaterthat brings students with diverse backgrounds together through the power of the arts, the resources provided by the campaign are empowering the next generation of changemakers.

While reaching the $3.2 billion mark is a remarkable achievement, Vanderbilt University will continue to raise the bar. The vision for the future is one of sustained growth, with campaign co-chairs and university trustees Steven Madden, BS'91, and Mark Mays, BA'85, daring supporters to imagine what could be accomplished by continuing this momentum.

"By investing in Vanderbilt, we are investing in the future-the next wave of leaders, of scientific breakthroughs, of critical conversations, of solutions to society's problems," said Madden, founder, CEO and president of Apex Heritage Group. "That's what daring to grow is about. And there's still time for all of us to be a part of it."

"The Vanderbilt community is filled with people who, quite simply, never stop," said Mays, principal of Rocking M Capital and former CEO of Clear Channel Communications. "We see this in the university's headline-making initiatives, our student-athletes' victories, and this historic campaign, which, although it has surpassed its initial goal, is just getting started."

Learn more at vu.edu/daretogrow.

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