WHY support Williams?
All gifts help make Williams a better place and have a true impact on the lives of students and the campus community. Your Alumni Fund gift can support the college's highest priorities or can be designated to a specific area of need.
Each Williams student receives a significant subsidy on the cost of their undergraduate experience -- and that's only possible thanks to generations of giving by alumni and families. Tuition and fees cover just 33% of the college's operating budget. Earnings from the endowment cover 51%; current gifts (such as those to the Alumni Fund) and other sources (primarily conference revenue) cover the rest.
Fast Facts on Williams' Financial Model:
Over time, Williams has become more reliant on philanthropy, and less reliant on tuition revenue.
In the past 15 years, the average price paid by a typical student receiving financial aid has held steady, even as the spending per student and tuition list price have increased.
Provost and Class of 1955 Professor of History Eiko Siniawer is committed to providing information about the college's financial model. Several reports and presentations that she has given are publicly available here.
A Case for Participation
Your gift, be it $20.20 or $2,020 is compounded and buoyed by your classmates, fellow alumni, and others who leverage it to great purpose. We pride ourselves on our strong tradition of participation and philanthropy.
Over half of donors to the 2020-21 Alumni Fund made gifts of $100 or less. Even gifts of $25 or less add up in a big way, raising over $50,000 -- enough to provide a typical financial aid package for one student. We wouldn't be the Williams we are today -- and we won't become the Williams we want to be -- without your gift.
A Case for Leadership Giving
Approximately 100 agents across the 50 youngest classes focus on leadership giving -- making the asks of classmates capable of giving $2,500 or more. With the continued support of these leadership donors, it is achievable for any class to achieve its fundraising goal. For some classes, this may be two or three donors; for others, it may be closer to 10% of the class.Â
During the 2022-23 year, 1,000 donors made leadership gifts and became members of the Purple Mountain Association. Together, gifts from that small group accounted for more than $13.5M for Williams.
Highest Priorities
Accessibility
The Arts
Athletics
Equity and Inclusion
Faculty Support
Financial Aid
First Gen Student Support
Mental Health
Social JusticeÂ
Student Life
Sustainability
WCMA
The Impact of a Gift to Williams
Take a deeper into the impact your gift has on the experience of current students!
A $10 gift supports...
Financial Aid: a course reading packet
Equity & Inclusion: a copy of a Williams Reads book
Athletics: the approximate cost of resistance band for sports performance
A $25 gift supports...
Financial Aid: the cost of Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates for AMST 300 with Prof. Anthony Y. Kim
Sustainability: 2 T-shirts for Root First Days programming
Equity & Inclusion: the approximate cost per student to attend a racial justice How'd You Get There event through the '68 Center for Career Exploration
Athletics: the approximate cost of yoga mat for a PE class
A $50 gift supports...
Financial Aid: the approximate cost of an application fee waiver
Equity & Inclusion: the cost for two staff members to attend an anti-bias training
Athletics: a tennis racket for a PE class
A $100 gift supports...
Financial Aid: the cost of senior week for a student that used to be paid out of pocket
Equity & Inclusion: the cost of copies of Blindspot for a department's professional development
Athletics: the cost of two frisbee golf holes
A $250 gift supports...
Financial Aid: the cost of Manual of Mineral Science for GEOS 202 - Mineralogy with Prof. Bud Wobus
Equity & Inclusion: one session with a therapist at Integrative Wellbeing Services
Athletics: the approximate cost for 10 yoga mats for PE classes
A $500 gift supports...
Financial Aid: a full semester's textbooks for one student, on average
Equity & Inclusion: one week of a racial justice WSP internship
Athletics: the approximate cost of all resistance bands for sports performance
A $1,000 gift supports...
Financial Aid: the cost of music lessons for four years
Equity & Inclusion: winter gear for students
Athletics: a Vasa swim erg to allow swimmers dry land stroke practice
A $2,500 gift supports...
Financial Aid: the cost of emergency dental care for an aided student
Equity & Inclusion: racial justice How'd You Get There series with the '68 Center
A $5,000 gift supports...
Financial Aid: on average, books for the aided students in one first year entry for one semester
Equity & Inclusion: one TIDE grant through the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Athletics: the approximate cost, storage containers + insurance
A $10,000 gift supports...
Financial Aid: summer storage for aided students
Equity & Inclusion: the racial justice + social impact venture project
Athletics: the approximate cost of track & field team needs to continue training
A $25,000 gift supports...
Financial Aid: sponsoring a Williams student for one year as an EphScholar donor
Equity & Inclusion: two racial justice public humanities fellows for one summer
A $50,000 gift supports...
Financial Aid: a typical package for a single student receiving financial aid
Equity & Inclusion: racial justice summer opportunity grants
A $100,000 gift supports...
Financial Aid: a typical all-in subsidy for an aided student, including all-student subsidy
Equity & Inclusion: 1/3 of the cost for proposed racial justice internships and fellowships