Babson Launches Largest Fundraising Campaign in its 100-Year History

Shaymaa Gaafar
Listen

Babson has announced the most ambitious fundraising campaign in its history, with a goal of raising $300 million and tripling the percentage of alumni who make annual donations to the college over the next four years.

“As Babson celebrates our historic Centennial year, we are committed to investing in the next generation of people and programs that will create economic and social value everywhere,” said President Kerry Healey. “Through the philanthropic generosity of Babson’s alumni and friends, the College will extend its impact and leadership, and remain at the forefront of entrepreneurship education.”

Even before its public launch, Babson’s campaign reached significant milestones. Alumni and friends have committed more than $188 million during the campaign’s quiet phase, bringing the initial total to almost two-thirds of the goal. Between 2013 and 2018, total commitments to the College have grown from $10.4 million to a record-setting $67.4 million.

Jamie Kent
During the campaign launch, Jamie Kent ’09 debuted a new song, “Give it All.”

On May 16, College volunteer and donor leadership gathered to mark the official launch of this important endeavor. Students Shaymaa Gaafar MBA’19, Max Feber ’21, and Allison Amaral ’21, a global scholar, shared the impact philanthropy has had on their Babson experiences. Heidi Neck, academic director of Babson Academy, spoke of philanthropy’s impact on faculty—and how that, in turn, ripples out to the world. And, Jamie Kent ’09 debuted a song he wrote to honor the campaign.

A Campaign for Babson’s Second Century

The campaign seeks to increase the accessibility and affordability of Babson to students from diverse backgrounds and from around the world. Under President Healey’s leadership, Babson recently began meeting 100 percent of first-year students’ demonstrated financial aid need for the first time in history. Babson also has established need-based, full-tuition scholarships for its new Global Scholars Program. To date, donors have given $20.9 million that has supported 47 global scholars from 30 countries.

More than half of the campaign’s goal will be dedicated to improving the student experience through scholarships, internships, study abroad opportunities, athletics, and extracurricular programs.

The campaign’s other main priority is to support the work of Babson’s faculty: To attract and retain the world’s foremost thought leaders in entrepreneurship education, the college is endowing senior positions, establishing new faculty ladder opportunities, and expanding its centers of academic excellence. During the campaign’s quiet phase, a generous gift to the campaign created the Bertarelli Foundation Chair for Family Entrepreneurship and launched the Institute for Family Entrepreneurship to rekindle Babson’s historic commitment to supporting family enterprises.

The Weissman Foundry at Babson College
The Weissman Foundry at Babson College.

Campaign gifts already have generated historic levels of funding that are transforming Babson’s campus for the benefit of faculty and students. Thanks to the generosity of Robert Weissman ’64, H’94, P’87 ’90, and his wife, Jan, P’87 ’90, a new interactive studio space, known as the Weissman Foundry, opened last fall. The Foundry is a collaborative project environment that is shared by students from Babson, Olin, and Wellesley colleges. A spectacular indoor garden and atrium, known as the Babson Commons, was dedicated yesterday and will provide informal gathering space for students and additional classrooms promise to transform the Babson student experience. A new park in the heart of campus, that includes the restored iconic Babson World Globe and the Fountain of Flags, will be named in honor of President Healey. The park and the Globe restoration were fully funded through philanthropy.

Record-Breaking Alumni Participation

“We are enormously grateful to the many alumni and friends who have already answered Babson’s invitation to support this campaign,” said Advancement Committee Chair Craig R. Benson ’77, H’03. “Babson’s next century will be marked by the investments made by so many generous gifts which will be critical to meeting our entrepreneurial vision.”

While building momentum in anticipation of the campaign, Babson has raised its annual alumni participation rate to new heights at a pace unheard of among other colleges and universities. From 2013 to 2018, the number of donors to Babson has increased by 74 percent, and alumni participation has increased from 15 percent to 30.5 percent. The campaign goal is to reach or surpass 40 percent participation.

Global Scholar Allison Amaral ’21 shares how philanthropy made his Babson education possible.

Alumni participation is seen by many as a good barometer of how graduates view their school, as a vote of confidence in the school’s future impact, and as a general indicator of academic excellence. Achieving 40 percent alumni participation would place Babson in the top 1 percent of all colleges and universities in the United States.

“Babson pioneered entrepreneurship as an academic discipline, based on the revolutionary belief that entrepreneurs can be made, not just born,” said Marla M. Capozzi MBA’96, chair of Babson’s Board of Trustees. “This campaign will allow us to continue to innovate toward a future that extends entrepreneurship and amplify our impact on the world. We thank our global community for their support and generosity.”

Posted in Community

More from Community »

Latest Stories

Babson Study Reveals the Power of Customer Kindness New Babson-funded research shows that customer kindness can boost employee satisfaction, reduce turnover, and spark a cycle of positivity in service industries.
By
Hillary Chabot
Writer
Hillary Chabot
Hillary Chabot is a writer for Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. An award-winning journalist, she is known for her insightful reporting and dedication to detailed storytelling. With a career spanning over two decades, she has covered a wide range of topics, from presidential campaigns and government policy to neighborhood issues and investigative series. As a reporter for The Boston Herald, Hillary earned a reputation for tenacity and integrity. Her work at Babson College fuels her passions—to learn something new every day and conduct thoughtful, empathic interviews. She’s thrilled to be at Babson College, where students, faculty, staff members and classes provide compelling copy daily.
September 3, 2025

Posted in Community, Insights

Three photos in a side-by-side collage depict Michael Kopelman coaching, Brady Anderson in action, and the doubles team celebrating
Courting Success: How Babson Tennis Teams Transformed into National Powerhouses With championships and top-tier recruiting classes, Babson Director of Tennis Michael Kopelman has overseen the transformation of the men’s and women’s programs into national powerhouses.
By
Scott Dietz
Writer
Scott Dietz
Scott Dietz is Babson College's Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications. Dietz is responsible for the department's internal and external communications, including branding, campus engagement, marketing, social media, sponsorships and website management. Additional duties consist of event coverage, facilitation of interview requests, media pitching, video content, writing and editing. Before Babson, Dietz spent 13-plus years at fellow NEWMAC institution Wheaton College, worked for the NFL, New England Patriots, and in the media relations department with the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. A native of South Park, PA, Dietz began his sports information career at Westminster College.
September 2, 2025

Posted in Community

Babson Build students from HBCUs participate in an exercise in the Weissman Foundry
An Entrepreneurial Summer: How Babson Impacts Communities Year-Round The school year may be over, but Babson’s work of educating entrepreneurial leaders doesn’t stop. In the summer, many entrepreneurs, educators, and leaders descend on campus. They come from around the globe to connect and to learn. What they take away from the College can impact their companies, their classrooms, and their communities.
By
John Crawford
Senior Journalist
John Crawford
A writer for Babson Thought & Action and the Babson Magazine, John Crawford has been telling the College’s entrepreneurial story for more than 15 years. Assignments for Babson have taken him from Rwanda to El Salvador, from the sweet-smelling factory of a Pennsylvania candy maker, to the stately Atlanta headquarters of an NFL owner, to the bustling office of a New York City fashion designer. Beyond his work for Babson, he has written articles and essays for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Notre Dame Magazine, The Good Men Project, and other publications. He can be found on Twitter, @crawfordwriter, where he tweets about climate change.
August 29, 2025

Posted in Community, Entrepreneurial Leadership