The Kelly Writers House received funding from the Class of 1975.
Credit: Chenyao Liu
The Penn Fund announced that it raised more than $70.1 million in the 2025 fiscal year — a record-breaking total nearly $15 million higher than last year.
The results were published in the University’s Annual Impact Report highlighting the “collective impact of undergraduate alumni, parents, and graduating seniors” in supporting Penn’s undergraduates. The $70,064,620 total provides support for financial aid, academic programs, and campus life initiatives.
According to the report, alumni reunion-giving accounted for a large share of contributions with donors celebrating milestones contributing more than $8.6 million. Penn parents and families added nearly $1.65 million, while young alumni contributed about $598,000.
The report also noted that 1,604 members of the Class of 2025 joined Seniors for The Penn Fund, the program encouraging seniors to give back before graduation.
Administrators highlighted that the gifts’ true impact is felt through student experiences. The report profiled undergraduates like College senior Noah Royal Milad and Nursing junior Hazel Ekeke, who credited alumni support with shaping their academic paths.
Milad, who studies international relations and political science, said that financial aid made his Penn education possible and that continued support gives him “the stability to thrive, lead, and envision a future of service.” Ekeke, a nursing major with minors in bioethics and urban studies, described how financial aid has allowed her to pursue additional coursework and engage with the Philadelphia community.
The report also highlighted the role of reunion classes in supporting Penn’s cultural and academic spaces. The Class of 1975 dedicated its 50th reunion fundraising to the Kelly Writers House, creating an endowment to support the center’s programming and naming the Class of 1975 Seminar Room.
“Every time I walk into Kelly Writers House, I’m held by a sense that everything will be okay,” 2023 College graduate Meg Gladieux wrote in the report. “The Writers House is always a place I feel safe to make that radical choice to write, create, and express my ideas and greatest dreams.”
Faculty director Al Filreis added that the Class’s gift would help the Writers House “say ‘Yes!’ to bold student ideas, year after year.”
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The report framed the fundraising results as part of a long-term trend: The Penn Fund has now set new records for seven consecutive years, with totals climbing steadily since before the pandemic. University leaders said that the sustained momentum signals continued alumni engagement and confidence in Penn’s undergraduate mission.
“The impact of your generosity will be felt on Locust Walk for years to come,” Chair of The Penn Fund Executive Board Claudia Meer Linehan wrote.
Last year, The Penn Fund raised around $55.7 million despite initial fundraising lags earlier that year. That fall, dozens of influential donors, including Apollo Global Management CEO and 1984 Wharton graduate Marc Rowan, pulled their funding, alleging the administration had failed to adequately respond to antisemitism.
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