Humbled by the generosity of friends, alumni, businesses, faculty and staff, Hope College extends its gratitude to the 4,645 donors who gave more than $77M over the 2025-2026 academic year — which will directly advance the incredible work done with students each year.
Driven by a profound sense of shared stewardship and vote of confidence from its donors, the Hope College Philanthropy and Engagement team also announced the college’s alumni participation increased 2.9 percent. The $77M total — which is the institution’s most successful fundraising year to date — includes direct cash gifts and documented pledges — representing 3.5 times Hope’s annual fundraising average.
“We are deeply humbled by this outpouring of generosity,” said Dr. Alexander Jones, vice president of philanthropy and engagement. “We believe what makes Hope distinctive isn’t just how much we raise, but it’s who carries that work forward. At many institutions, philanthropy is confined to a single office. At Hope, it’s a campus-wide commitment and shared ownership. Faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, parents and friends together help cultivate generosity, steward resources and build relationships with our donors.”
The total 4,645 donors who contributed to Hope’s campaign represented a 4.5 percent increase in overall donors. Highlighting the sustained commitment of the Hope donor community, 69 percent of donors from the previous year chose to repeat their giving. Additionally, Hope welcomed 447 first-time donor households to its philanthropic family.
“The heartbeat of this generosity is our grassroots support,” Jones said. “While we are blessed with 16 gifts of $1M+ and 66 additional gifts of $100,000 or more, it’s the thousands of individual, annual contributions that provide the foundation. Every donor is a co-architect of Hope’s future.”
Much of the total amount raised was directed to Hope’s new economics and business facility, currently under construction in downtown Holland on Hope’s campus. To date, the College has secured $57 million in philanthropic commitments for its economics and business project. Those commitments include support for the new $65 million facility, as well as the faculty, programs and student experiences that will bring the new space to life. Fundraising will continue as the college invests in the future of its economics and business department.
Other funds were directed to support faculty development and learning, student-centered initiatives, co-curricular programs and Hope Forward — the college’s innovative gifted-tuition model. The cycle of gratitude and generosity is also evident among Hope’s youngest alumni. The entire first Hope Forward cohort (class of 2025) made a financial gift back to the college within their first year of graduation. Hope College’s annual “Day of Giving” effort is a 36-hour fundraising campaign held each February. In 2026, about 2,070 donors gifted $1,064,018 — marking the second consecutive year the annual campaign topped the $1M mark.