“BrownTogether ignited the amazing talent, dedication and innovation that defines the Brown community in new and exciting ways, and together we made history,” Paxson said. “The remarkable and inspiring generosity of our donors has enabled us to expand access to a Brown education, advance cutting-edge research, introduce new innovations in education and strengthen Brown’s role as a leading global institution. The impact of this historic effort can’t be overstated.”

The increased investment in the faculty who lead Brown's teaching and research across a wide range of disciplines will be one of the most enduring impacts of the campaign, according to University Provost Francis J. Doyle III. The generosity of the Brown community has cemented a future where Brown is strongly positioned to recruit and retain world-class scholars, he said. 

“With the financial support of so many dedicated members of the Brown community, we have strengthened and expanded our deep base of leading-edge faculty who are pushing the boundaries of scholarship, inquiry and innovation,” Doyle said. “Brown is elevating its academic excellence with more faculty at the top of their fields — as well as rising stars — who inspire students’ curiosity and intellect as we prepare future generations of global leaders, collaborative thinkers, leading researchers and problem-solvers.”

Among those who supported BrownTogether, more than 49,300 Brown alumni from across the generations and 13,900 non-alumni parents contributed to the campaign, and more than 33,000 first-time donors were inspired to give. This record-setting response is a testament to Brown’s mission to create new knowledge, advance innovation and discovery, and make a positive difference, according to Senior Vice President for Advancement Sergio Gonzalez.

“The support of tens of thousands of generous BrownTogether donors has demonstrated the power of philanthropy and inspired a growing culture of philanthropy at Brown supported by all types of giving,” Gonzalez said. “It has illuminated the many reasons people feel compelled to sustain and build on the work that faculty, staff and students do at Brown every day.”

Investment in Distinct Areas of Strength

A major focus of BrownTogether was to bolster investment in targeted areas of academic strength at Brown — where the University is now positioned to realize bold ambitions to be on the leading edge of building knowledge, innovation and discovery. Approximately $1.58 billion in campaign gifts is supporting expanded research, educational innovation and integrative scholarship in fields ranging from cancer research and brain science to public health, environmental science, humanities, engineering, medicine and the arts.

Among many notable milestones, donor gifts enabled the establishment or expansion of the Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research, Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship, Brown Arts Institute, Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, Legorreta Cancer Center, Orlando Bravo Center for Economic Research, and Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America. A $100 million gift in 2018 has helped to propel the Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science as one of the highest-impact university-based brain science institutes in the country.

“For scientists at Carney, campaign support is quickening the pace of discovery as we search for cures to some of the world’s most devastating diseases, understand the human brain, and build new devices and tools — from novel brain sensors to brain-inspired AI — that are shared around the world,” Carney Institute for Brain Science Director Diane Lipscombe said. “Researchers at Brown are driven to solve society’s most pressing challenges, and critically important investments from BrownTogether donors allow us to achieve that mission across a wide range of academic disciplines.”

Gifts to advance Brown’s physical campus supported new and renovated spaces for discovery and exploration to take shape. These include the state-of-the-art Engineering Research Center, which opened in 2017; a major renovation to Friedman Hall in 2018 to create a modern and fully accessible classroom building in the heart of campus; the creation of Stephen Robert ’62 P’91 Hall, a major physical expansion for the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs; and the cutting-edge Lindemann Performing Arts Center, which opened in 2023, along with the creation of the Perelman Arts District, which showcases spaces across campus where arts learning, education and performance take place. Donor support is also helping to bring to life a range of in-development projects, like the William A. and Ami Kuan Danoff Life Sciences Laboratories, which is expected to open in 2027 and will convene scientists across multiple fields of study to solve some of our world's most complex, interconnected health and medical challenges.

In total, BrownTogether raised more than $777 million to support more than 35 facilities projects on campus, including new buildings, major renovations and reinvigorated spaces that have enabled the University to sustain and advance a campus for the future. Brown is also advancing its role as an economic engine for Providence, in particular through substantial investments in projects to bring new life to the city’s Jewelry District.

Realizing the vision of Building on Distinction

The BrownTogether campaign launched publicly in 2015 to bring to life the vision for Brown outlined in its strategic plan, Building on Distinction: A New Plan for Brown. The 10-year plan launched in 2014 with the culmination of the celebration of Brown's 250th anniversary. Twice, the campaign surpassed its fundraising goals — in 2021, it eclipsed its original $3 billion target more than a year ahead of schedule, and in early 2024 (10 months before its end date) it surpassed an extended goal of $4 billion.

From the start, a primary focus was supporting the people of Brown who make it possible for the University to fulfill its mission. This meant increasing resources to broaden access to a Brown education for the best and brightest students from a full range of backgrounds, and strengthening support for the University’s diverse community of scholars through endowed professorships and faculty recruitment.

Financial aid initiatives include the Brown Promise, which replaced loans with scholarships in University financial aid packages for undergraduates; a veterans initiative that permanently funded full scholarships for military veterans enrolled as Brown undergraduates; extending need-blind admissions to international undergraduates, meaning that an applicant's need for financial support to pay tuition would not be a factor in admissions decisions; and new forms of student support for medical students and graduate students, including those from backgrounds historically underrepresented in higher education. New scholarships include the Inman Page Black Alumni Council and Mercedes Domenech Brown University Latino Alumni Council Brown Annual Fund scholarships. In total, BrownTogether raised more than $728 million for undergraduate financial aid and graduate and medical student support, including more than 400 new endowed financial aid funds.

“It has been remarkable to see the impact of Brown’s deepening commitment to making the University an affordable choice for extraordinarily talented students from every income level, which has directly enabled more low- and moderate-income students to apply to and enroll at Brown,” Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Undergraduate Admission Logan Powell said.

Separately, landmark support for faculty recruitment and retention was catalyzed through more than $506 million in contributions to raise funds for 143 endowed professorships in medicine, psychology, climate and health, computer science, neuroscience, classics, economics, engineering, and pandemic preparedness and response, among many other fields. 

The new professorships are helping to cultivate a diversity of experience, expertise and perspective that is further advancing Brown’s academic excellence by bringing together the range of viewpoints needed to tackle complex problems.

“Endowed professorships are advancing Brown’s excellence across all disciplines, rooted in the creativity and collaboration that stem from the Open Curriculum, and make the experience of teaching and pursuing scholarship at Brown unique,” Dean of the Faculty Leah VanWey said. “With support from BrownTogether, the evolution of the faculty over the last decade reflects Brown's longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion and the imperatives of the 21st century across all areas of study, ensuring that our faculty have the resources to address the challenges facing our world today.” 

Enriching and revitalizing campus life

Enhancing campus life for all Brown community members was another key focus of BrownTogether. As one example, the campaign generated $315 million in support for Brown’s Division of Athletics and Recreation to bolster its programs, resources and facilities. This included the construction of the Center for Lacrosse and Soccer in 2019, a new 76,000-square-foot indoor turf facility slated to open in 2026, as well as a fund to support student-athletes, and the endowment of the vice president for athletics and recreation position.

Fundraising support through BrownTogether enhanced living and learning at Brown in myriad other ways, including the construction of the first new residence halls in 30 years. The state-of-the-art Chen Family and William and Ami Danoff residence halls on Brook Street opened in 2023, supporting students while helping the University achieve a goal of housing the vast majority of Brown undergraduates in residence halls. The new Health and Wellness Center and Sternlicht Commons opened in 2021 as a unique residence hall and student services hub devoted to promoting health and well-being for Brown’s student population.

In addition, the Undocumented, First-Generation College and Low-Income (U-FLi) Student Center opened in 2016 to support low-income students and those who are the first in their family to attend college, while the launch of Brown’s new Center for Career Exploration in 2023 has significantly expanded career advising, resources, programs and partnerships to support students’ career paths.

Embracing the momentum cultivated by BrownTogether, donors gave in record-setting levels to the Brown Annual Fund during the campaign — driving the growth of the fund to more than $50 million annually for the past three years. Annual Fund contributions have enabled the University to respond quickly to immediate demands and fund everyday needs supporting the community, including additional scholarships and new impact funds to support campus sustainability, career exploration through the BrownConnect Fund, and the Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion Fund to provide critical resources, emergency support and community-building programs for students.

Campaign reflects the best of Brown

Class of 1972 Brown graduate Joan Wernig Sorensen, a fellow of the Corporation of Brown University, served as a BrownTogether campaign co-chair with fellow alumni and Corporation members Theresia Gouw and Ralph Rosenberg. She said the campaign demonstrated Brown’s timeless values and distinctive strengths, and illustrated what’s possible through widespread community support.

“Theresia, Ralph and I were inspired and energized every step of the way by President Paxson’s visionary leadership and the tremendous support and generosity from Chancellor Emeriti Tom Tisch and Sam Mencoff, Chancellor Brian Moynihan, and the Corporation,” Sorensen said. “As a tight-knit and supportive community, we all live up to the campaign’s name — BrownTogether — every day. What will always be ever true about Brown is that we all share in both its history and its future.”

While the BrownTogether campaign has proven extraordinarily successful, the University’s continued aspirations include further investment to bring education and research to even greater heights. This includes ongoing investment in scholarship and research, further enhancing students’ access to a Brown education, cultivating the diversity of experience and perspectives needed for academic excellence, and continuing to reinvigorate Brown’s physical campus through targeted development.

Philanthropic support provides essential funding to ensure Brown is able to fulfill its ambitions, Paxson noted. With continued support from generous alumni, parents, donors and friends of Brown, the University will advance the boundaries of teaching, learning and research in the fields of artificial intelligence, RNA research, international and public affairs and more — all while further broadening access to academically exceptional students and supporting them once they enroll.

“As Brown seeks to change the world through its pursuit of solutions to society’s most pressing challenges, the generosity of our community is strengthening the work that faculty, staff and students do on campus every day,” Paxson said. “We are grateful for their extraordinary contributions and appreciate that the support that comes from every corner of the world and every generation will shape Brown for decades to come.”