Barnard raises over $2.1 million for Giving Day
On October 28, the College hosted its annual Giving Day in support of the Barnard Fund and raised over $2 million for the first time since 2022.
Photo by Haley Scull & Sophie Meritt/The Barnard Bulletin
By Anika Bahirwani and Lucinda Anderson November 8, 2026 at 10:38 p.m.
Last Wednesday marked Giving Day, an initiative by Barnard College and Columbia University’s undergraduate and graduate schools, in a “friendly competition” to raise funds for their respective programs. Giving Day also featured challenges throughout the day to encourage donations across Columbia's schools and programs.
Within 24 hours, Barnard raised $2,113,153 through 1,537 total gifts, surpassing its goal of $1.8 million but falling short of its total gift goal of 1,889. Last year, Barnard raised $1.47 million through Giving Day, making this year’s total a 43.6% increase from the previous year and the first time since 2022 that Barnard surpassed $2 million.
Contributions to this year's Giving Day reached over $2.1 million since 2022. 2023 Giving Day was canceled due to campus protests.
Graph by Kimberly Wing/The Barnard Bulletin
This increase comes after several alumni and affiliates told The Barnard Bulletin that they would be canceling their donations to Barnard, citing dissatisfaction with how the College handled campus protests.
The annual campaign provided alumni and supporters with an opportunity to contribute to different aspects of the College. Giving Day donations supported the Barnard Fund, and donors directed their contributions toward one of seven designations: Area of Greatest Need, Student Scholarships, Women in Leadership, Senior Fund, Barnard Sciences, Arts & Humanities, and the 3009 Fund.
Area of Greatest Need, which includes campus resources, emergency student assistance, and emerging academic opportunities, received almost half of all Giving Day donations to Barnard.
Graph by Kimberly Wing/The Barnard Bulletin
Area of Greatest Need, which supports campus resources, emergency student assistance, and emerging academic opportunities, received 746 donations, the most out of all gifts. Student Scholarships, which supports financial aid, received the second-highest number of gifts, at 314 contributions.
As part of Giving Day's hourly challenges, Barnard received a "surprise" $2,000 gift at 10 p.m., alongside Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, College of Dental Medicine, and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
In the Unlock Challenge, which awarded an additional $500 in challenge funds for every 100 gifts received, Barnard placed second behind Columbia Athletics with 1,537 gifts, unlocking an additional $7,500 in funding.
The Giving Day website displayed a class-year leaderboard tracking the number of gifts made by Barnard alumni from different graduating classes. Barnard's Class of 1969 led the leaderboard with 49 gifts, followed by the Class of 1996 with 40, and the Class of 1984 with 38. The Class of 1978 followed with 35 gifts, while the Class of 2001 rounded out the top five with 29 gifts. Giving Day also highlighted individual donors and the designations they supported.
Alumni and supporters named a number of reasons for donating to Barnard during Giving Day, such as sponsoring “a first class education,” building “long-term friendships,” and creating a space to “explore and expand” student voices.
Beyond financial support, Barnard also offered other ways for supporters to get involved on this year’s Giving Day. Supporters were encouraged to fill out volunteer forms for updates and resources regarding Barnard and use premade templates, listed on the website, to spread the word about Giving Day through social media and other platforms.
To celebrate Giving Day, Barnard hosted a celebration on campus, beginning with a rally on Futter Field for students and alumni. Volunteers encouraged donations over a certain amount through Barnard merchandise. Students were also given the option to write notes thanking donors in exchange for merchandise.
The event concluded with an alumni reception in Sulzberger Parlor with a viewing of the Giving Day results.
