A Year in Review

December 9, 2021

Thank you for coming together and giving back to ensure that our students were supported, and the academic excellence and quality of a Canisius education remained uncompromised during the past academic year! You helped us accomplish more than we thought possible during a truly challenging time.

Canisius closed the 2020-21 fiscal year with more than 5,300 donors contributing $8.8 million – an increase of $1.5 million compared to FY 2019-20. In addition to several large gifts and bequests, the college exceeded its goal for the Canisius Fund, saw nearly 2,000 donors participate on Giving Day and welcomed more than 156 new members to the Leadership Society. 

Donor gifts enabled the college to pivot to new and innovative ways of teaching and learning throughout the pandemic and assured that every student who qualified, received financial aid to continue their education. 

Annual donors and generous charitable bequests helped us realize nearly $4.3 million in endowment gifts, which provided scholarship support to more than 1,200 deserving students. Thanks to the philanthropic generosity of so many, the college’s endowment continues to grow, reaching an all-time high of $160.6 million, and providing a reliable source of income and long-term financial stability for the college.

Lastly, Canisius received a $767,500 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation in support of our Physician Assistant Studies program and scholarships for minority students who enroll in it. This new graduate program welcomed its first cohort of students in fall 2020 and expanded Canisius’ reach in educating healthcare practitioners for WNY and beyond.

This is only a sampling of what the generosity of the Canisius community made possible during an uncertain year. On behalf of the campus community, and most importantly our students, we again say thank you!