SEATTLE — Charitable contributions to colleges and universities plummeted an average 11.9 percent nationwide in 2009, the steepest drop in at least three decades, according to a new report. The University of Washington, however, was one of the few university’s to escape the trend.
Individual giving dropped in both dollars and participation numbers. Gifts for endowments and new buildings saw the biggest decreases, according to the Council for Aid to Education, which released its 2009 fiscal report on Wednesday.
Donation declines piled on top of endowment drops averaging 22 percent, plus state budget cuts for public colleges.
“We knew that this was going to be a bad year,” said Ann E. Kaplan, director of the survey, who noted that 2009 was a bad year for both the institutions and the donors who support them. “Nothing that came out of the numbers surprised me very much.”
One area of giving that did not decline as much was gifts from organizations, including corporations, foundations, religious organizations and other nonprofits.
The year wasn’t bad for every college. The University of Washington — No. 12 on the Council for Aid to Education’s list — had its best fundraising year in history, said Walt Dreyfoos, associate vice president of advancement services.
It brought in $324 million in fiscal 2009 — an increase of more than $20 million over 2008.
Individual donations were down at the university last year, but corporate and foundation dollars going mostly to research remained strong. In addition to research money, the university was still collecting on multiyear pledges from a record-breaking capital campaign that ended in June 2008.
“You look at the state’s investment in this university. And then you look at the private sector’s support for this university. The private sector is voting with its wallet, saying this is a great university,” Dreyfoos said.
Donations for the current fiscal year are down compared 2009, he added, but he wasn’t sure what additional dollars would come in before the end of June.
“I hate making predictions because it kind of assumes people’s generosity,” Dreyfoos said.
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