Your gift made a difference in 2024
In this report, we look back on the FY 2023-24 year in philanthropy. By contributing to amazing new facilities— such as the Vernier Science Center— as well as by supporting PSU students, faculty and programs, you opened doors across campus and across our region.
Thank you, donors!
Giving by the numbers
$ 37 M Dollars Raised
24 % of donors gave multiple times
7,948 Total Gifts
1,244 donations came from first-time donors
3,964 Total Donors
87 % of donors gave $1,000 or less
You helped students look toward tomorrow
Now and always, scholarships make a real and lasting impact on PSU students’ lives. After graduation, Tasneem Anjary '26 hopes to become an accountant and serve as a role model for her two sons. Scholarship support has given her the motivation and confidence she needs to focus on school and finish her degree.
$3.5M raised for scholarships from 863 donors
You Stepped Up for Students
Donor-supported one-time microgrants offered temporary assistance to help students cover immediate needs related to housing, food, medical care or transportation. These funds helped students stay focused on school when it mattered most.
$364K in emergency funds distributed to 541 students
You Got Loud for Grassroots Causes
This year, more than 80 groups across campus—including Mariachi Rosas del Sol—came together under the banner of the PSU Spring Day of Giving to invite the community to support their work. Hundreds of PSU students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends rallied to bolster their favorite causes and projects—from scholarships to urban ecology projects and everything in between.
$350K raised through crowdfunding for causes across campus
You helped students learn by doing
Donor support connects PSU students with hands-on learning opportunities. Today, Kayla Sorenson, '19, '21 is a Ph.D. student at PSU working on microbial soil desaturation—an area of study that is helping Portland prepare for future earthquakes.
$4.2M raised as part of student success initiatives
You built a creative campus
This year, donors and advocates came together to celebrate a future center for creativity in downtown Portland. Jordan Schnitzer and his charitable family foundation made a $10 million gift commitment to support arts education and access at PSU while investing in our city. The funds will support construction of a new home for the Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design, scheduled to open in 2026.
$14.3M contributed for current and planned capital projects
You envisioned Portland's Future
One area of focus this past year has been advocacy for the creation of a premier performing arts and culture center on the PSU campus — a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help drive a cultural and educational resurgence for Portland. PSU advocates teamed up to voice their enthusiastic support of this project and — thanks in part to their efforts — the City plans to partner with PSU on development in the coming years.
More than 800 advocates took action to support PSU's performing arts center proposal.
You Lifted Up Alumni Businesses
This year, PSU alumni came together to support small businesses in the region owned or operated by fellow Vikings. Nearly 70 businesses participated in alumni events, including local wineries, food and drink businesses, architects, real estate professionals, artists and makers. Rebecca Smith, '22 was one of many alumni business owners highlighted at alumni community events throughout the year.
200+ members of the PSU Alumni Business Network helped grow Oregon's economy
You brought futures into focus
Corporations and grant-making organizations provided resources to advance student success at PSU. A $250,000 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, for example, will improve the recruitment, retention and graduation of Black, Indigenous and Latiné doctoral students in STEM fields. The funds will allow students and faculty to come together to strategize new ways of supporting diverse graduate students in key STEM programs across the university.
$11M raised from corporations and private foundations
You supported superb educators
PSU faculty make an impact each and every day as both researchers and educators. Thanks to donor support, Daimler Professor Dr. Raúl Bayoán Cal can provide research opportunities for students in his laboratory, where his group is researching fluid mechanics in outer space.
$2.4M raised for faculty positions and academic support
You made a lasting difference
Donors looking toward the future chose to make legacy gifts at Portland State University. Many of these commitments ultimately help to build the university’s endowment, which provides financial support for student success initiatives and scholarships, faculty positions and research, and PSU programs – forever.
$3.5M in planned gift and estate commitments