N.C. A&T Logs Record Fundraising Year, Surpasses $100M Campaign Goal

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Sept. 16, 2020) – On the heels of the recently closed 2020 fiscal year in which North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University raised a record $18.1 million, the university has now surpassed its $100-million goal for the Campaign for North Carolina A&T with 3½ months remaining in the initiative.

A&T’s previous best fundraising year was FY2018, in which it raised $15.6 million.

For FY2020, nearly 11% of alumni made gifts to the campaign totaling $8.5 million, both of which are institutional records.

A&T surpassed its $100-million campaign goal this week on the strength of a $4-million gift from Durham-based Cree, an international manufacturer of lighting products and products for power and radio frequency applications. The Cree gift is at the heart of what is already shaping up to be a year that could surpass the FY2020 record, with multiple sizable gifts under discussion and alumni giving continuing its strong pace.

“We were truly humbled by the generosity of North Carolina A&T’s alumni and friends and the way they stepped up this past year to make a lasting difference for our university,” said campaign co-chair Willie A. Deese. Added campaign co-chair Royall Mack, “Aggies understand what it takes to go from good to great, and even in the face of the economic difficulties of the second half of FY2020, they showed they were up to the challenge.”

The previously unmatched year grew the university’s academic endowment to $73.8 million, up $5.3 million from FY2019, and its overall endowment and Real Estate Foundation assets to a combined $86 million.

When the campaign began in FY2014, A&T’s endowment was roughly half that: $43,868,935. Earnings on university endowments provide critical funding to support academic programming, student scholarships and financial aid, faculty salaries and more.

For public institutions, such as A&T, they can be a particularly critical sources of revenue, funding initiatives and opportunities not covered by taxpayer revenue.

“Through the Campaign for North Carolina A&T, we are creating a culture of philanthropy at our university that will stand us in good stead as we pursue the next $100 million in support of our students and the long-term success of this institution,” said Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. “I am truly grateful for the support of each and every donor, and committed to ensuring that we maximize the impact and value of their gifts.”