Darden Annual Fund
Supporting the Darden Annual Fund is the best way to help the Darden School navigate the unprecedented challenges these times present. Every gift to the annual fund will make a difference. Gifts designated to the annual fund’s Area of Greatest Need will support Darden’s ability to provide:
- Increased financial aid and expanded scholarship opportunities to ensure that the challenges posed by the pandemic do not hinder students’ ability to enroll at Darden
- Technology to efficiently support the hybrid classroom experience and provide in-person experiences during the entire academic year
- Increased and diverse resources dedicated to mental health
- Career services through the Darden Impact Internship program, which offered full-time, paid internships to students and recent graduates whose internships and job offers were impacted by the pandemic
- Funding for student clubs and organizations to reduce the burden of dues, provide equitable access and support ongoing community-building
Below, learn more about how gifts to each designated area of the Darden Annual Fund power the School's strategic priorities.
Every gift makes a difference to enable the School to respond to the emerging needs of students and faculty at any time. Flexible annual fund dollars have been deployed to launch programs like Breakthrough Scholars to enhance inclusive excellence in finance.
The quality of the Darden experience depends on the quality of our faculty. Annual fund investments power teaching and research infrastructures while encouraging global understanding and the development of new and diverse courses and case studies to reflect an interconnected business world.
Over half of the annual fund is used for student scholarships every year. It's a path for all alumni to ensure top talent continues to learn Darden values to create value.
Recruitment efforts for top-tier women students is increasingly competitive amongst our peers. Flexible annual fund dollars allow Darden to meet this challenge with compelling scholarship offers for highly deserving prospective students.
The Consortium program brings unique value and representation to Darden, ensuring broad perspectives in the classroom and diverse leadership amongst our alumni community. Annual fund contributions provide the vast majority of scholarship dollars for Consortium Fellows.
See how the Darden Annual Fund has powered the School’s response to the coronavirus pandemic through a Q&A with Dean Scott C. Beardsley.
Read Darden Professor Sankaran “Venkat” Venkataraman’s first-hand account of the impact of philanthropy on the faculty body.
With Venezuela’s inflation crisis, Stephanie Regetti (MBA ’17) might have never made it to Darden without annual fund scholarship support.
The Heart of Our Progress
Your leadership through the Darden Society is a strategic investment in the School’s path forward. Support the campaign today and invest in the annual fund at the Darden Society level.
Hickory was Dean Charles C. Abbott’s ever-loyal black Labrador retriever and is a symbol of the dedication of Darden alumni who provide three or more years of consecutive giving.