Priority
Direct, flexible support
In a world of increasing complexity, the disciplines that make up the arts and sciences open the doors for inquiry, understanding, and progress. Penn Arts & Sciences provides the foundation for students across the University, and our mission to advance the depth and breadth of a liberal arts education and the pursuit of knowledge is the intellectual core that sustains Penn.
Annual funds are a vital companion to endowment support. Annual gifts can be used as they come in, allowing for flexibility and investment in emerging priorities.
In 2023, nearly 700 donors gave over $900,000, providing spendable funds equal to the income of a $18 million endowment. Gifts to the Arts & Sciences Annual Fund are put to immediate use, supporting every aspect of the School’s mission, including:
MEETING THE FINANCIAL AID GAP. Penn Arts & Sciences’ financial aid endowment covers only a small fraction of the amount needed to support our all-grant aid packages.
SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE TEACHING. Our faculty are constantly responding to the needs and interests of our students, and flexible funds allow for new course development and research opportunities.
FUNDING INNOVATIVE FACULTY RESEARCH in areas including energy and sustainability, brain and mind studies, and the digital humanities.
The Arts & Sciences Annual Fund supports:
6,400+students in the College |
1,400+doctoral students |
500+Faculty |
20+research centers |
56undergraduate Majors |
33Doctoral programs |
Internships are key to growing student potential. They provide hands-on learning experience out in the world. AYESHA PATEL conducted research and a financial analysis during a summer internship at BalletX, a contemporary ballet company in Philadelphia.
HERMAN BEAVERS, Julie Beren Platt and Marc E. Platt President’s Distinguished Professor of English and Africana Studies, studies 20th-century African American literature and culture, jazz and the blues, and poetry and poetics. Beavers’ career is defined by his commitment to community building, whether it be finding exciting new ways to connect students with local residents, or discussing literature with veterans.
For EMILY STEINER, Professor of English, the classroom is an opportunity to share her love of medieval literature. By showing students the humor and drama of The Canterbury Tales or Beowulf that can be obscured by difficult language or unfamiliar customs, she encourages them to be both lovers of the past and critical thinkers about the present.
Support
Giving Opportunties
The Arts & Sciences Annual Fund is the most direct way to support the School and our commitment to the future and the power of the liberal arts. By providing immediate, unrestricted funds, you support access to a Penn Arts & Sciences education and innovative learning, research, and teaching opportunities for our students and faculty.
Gifts of any size support the Arts & Sciences Annual Fund.
Contact
To learn more, contact Janhavi Chandra, Director of Annual Giving, at jchandra@sas.upenn.edu or 215-746-8208.