Thanks to the generosity of the UMass Amherst community, the campaign has reached an important milestone, 18 months ahead of schedule. 

When the UMass Amherst Foundation launched the public phase of Accelerate: The Campaign for UMass Amherst in September 2024, UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier A. Reyes emphasized that the effort would “enable our faculty and students to continue to ask the boldest questions, lean into the most pressing challenges, and expand the boundaries of knowledge through pioneering research, innovation and scholarship.”

As the campaign sped past its initial goal of $600 million in January 2026, its impact on the university was already visible and felt in every corner of the state’s flagship.  

“I am grateful to the generous donors who have demonstrated their commitment to our students, faculty, values and mission,” said Chancellor Reyes. 

“Every donation and every act of support can help a student with tuition, a faculty member undertake a project, or improve campus and, ultimately, help us fulfill our mission to benefit the commonwealth and beyond.”  

Javier A. Reyes, Chancellor 

Alumni, faculty, staff, parents, organizations, and friends have supported the Accelerate campaign through investments in programmatic support, student aid, support for faculty and staff, and campus infrastructure thus far.  

“Over the course of the campaign, our alumni and donors have responded in remarkable and impactful ways. Reaching the campaign goal as early as we did is a clear indication that our donors believe in UMass and see a bright future for the university,” said UMass Amherst Foundation President Arwen Duffy.  

Growing Investment in Research, Teaching, and Creative Endeavors  

In total, Accelerate has generated $329.3 million in support for academic programs across disciplines and $66.6 million to help UMass attract and retain outstanding academic faculty and staff.  

Leadership gifts from the Elaine Marieb Foundation to the renamed Marieb College of Nursing and from Doug ’71, ’05 hon. and Diana Berthiaume to the Isenberg School of Management have provided expanded student support, endowed faculty positions, and funded research initiatives designed to further innovation in nursing practice and entrepreneurship respectively.

“UMass Amherst has the potential to advance knowledge, economic growth, and societal impact through its research enterprise and community partnerships.” 

Doug Berthiaume ’71, ’05 hon., Accelerate campaign co-chair

“I feel fortunate to be able to help faculty and students develop novel ideas, and I’m inspired by the way this community has united to expand academic excellence and provide an enduring foundation for transformational research,” said Doug Berthiaume, who serves as an Accelerate campaign co-chair.   

In addition, an $18 million naming gift from Robert and Donna Manning is supporting cutting-edge teaching and research taking place at the Robert and Donna Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences. The gift is enriching the student experience through scholarships, peer mentoring, and bridge programs, allowing the university to make significant investments in faculty excellence and research, and advancing computing for the common good.

Accelerate gifts have also played a key role in amplifying the potential and impact of UMass Amherst’s engineering programs. Most notably, a $50 million gift from Daniel J. Riccio Jr. ’86,’24 MS—the largest individual gift in university history—is supporting immediate and long-term initiatives to fuel innovative research, strengthen academic excellence, and expand access and opportunity for generations of UMass engineering students. In honor of the gift, the college is now known as the Daniel J. Riccio Jr. College of Engineering.

A $10 million gift from Jerome ’60 and Linda Paros endowed the Paros Center for Atmospheric Research, a multidisciplinary research center anchored in the College of Engineering, where students and faculty are conducting high-impact projects focused on hazardous weather prediction, geophysical sensing, and warning and mitigation platforms.

Revolutionizing Access to Education

Another of the Accelerate campaign’s top priorities is to give students the opportunities and support they need to succeed beyond graduation. To date, Accelerate has raised $176.8 million for student aid. This has enabled more students to choose UMass Amherst and participate in high-impact learning opportunities like study abroad, internships, and research alongside faculty.  

Donor support for Flagship Scholarship Awards, a current-use scholarship fund established in 2024 to bridge the financial gap for in-state, low-income or first-generation students, has so far provided eight recipients with $6,000 awards each year through the 2028–29 academic year, totaling $24,000 per student. The fund has raised a total of $366,457 since it was established.  

“Many of us were able to build successful careers and businesses because of our UMass education,” said Michelle Cardinal, an Accelerate campaign co-chair. “We want to help others achieve that same dream. I’m proud to be part of a campaign that is opening doors for students who may not otherwise have had the opportunity to attend college.”

As the campaign continues, UMass Amherst schools, colleges, and units will focus on boosting student scholarships through a number of initiatives. The Script U Society in Athletics enables donors to support student-athletes at a time when the landscape of college athletics has changed tremendously. These scholarships will ensure that the university’s 21 varsity programs can recruit and develop exceptional student-athletes from the local region, across the nation, and internationally.

In addition, the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences is looking to raise 30 additional endowed scholarships and fellowships for its students by 2030. The 30 for 2030 initiative will allow the college to support more students beyond the bounds of the current campaign.

Magnifying Impact on the Common Good  

Accelerate is already directly improving our surrounding communities and the economic growth of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  

Generous donors have directed gifts to the University Libraries, which support the digitization of collections, contribute to the development of open-source library systems, and provide funding for activities that make the university’s special collections available to students and the wider community.

Private foundations are also supporting community-engaged research in the College of Education, the College of Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA), and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS). One example is a $2.7 million grant awarded to SBS’s Political Economy Research Institute by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to improve the national data infrastructure relating to the economics and policy of paid and unpaid care work.

In addition, longtime supporters John and Elizabeth Armstrong made gifts and commitments totaling $4 million to advance a broad range of disciplines in the university’s research enterprise in response to the uncertainty surrounding federal funding for research.

Building on Success  

Based on strong support for the campaign from the UMass community and its resounding impact across the university so far, the UMass Amherst Foundation will build on this momentum and continue to seek philanthropic support for the university’s growing contributions to the common good. Gifts made through June 30, 2027, will be included in the campaign.

“As a proud graduate and parent of six students, I have felt the power of the UMass experience firsthand. Through this campaign, we are working to cement the university’s ability to provide a dynamic and affordable education to students from all walks of life and produce research that has meaningful implications for the wider community. It is clear that this mission has resonated with our community.”  

Karen Peters ’87, P’13, P’18, P’21, P’26, Accelerate campaign co-chair

“Passing the $600 million milestone offers us an opportunity to reflect on all this campaign has done and continues to do for the university and to express gratitude to all who have contributed to its success,” says UMAF President Arwen Duffy. “And we are not done yet. There’s so much more we can do to help the university fulfill its commitment to the commonwealth and the common good as Accelerate continues.”

Join the community members who have supported Accelerate thus far. Make your gift today.