Defy Gravity campaign surpasses $1.6 billion raised and exceeds 50% of alumni engagement goal

Jun 13, 2023

The most ambitious campaign in Canadian university history is empowering inclusive excellence and inspiring new levels of giving and alumni engagement in Canada.

A group of men and women stand on a stage, clapping, with renderings of new buildings behind them — Sam Ibrahim (centre), Meric Gertler (left) and Wisdom Tettey (right) celebrate Ibrahim’s transformative gift to establish the Sam Ibrahim Centre for Inclusive Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership, in May 2023.

Just over a year and a half ago, the University of Toronto launched Defy Gravity, a campaign rooted in the university’s vision for inclusive excellence and the power of its community to address global issues on a significant scale.

The campaign set two significant goals. For the first time, U of T established a campaign goal for alumni engagement, with an aim to inspire 225,000 alumni to get involved as volunteers, mentors, donors, participants and leaders and encouraged them to collectively contribute their time and talent to the University one million times. The university community also set its sights on raising $4 billion for its highest priorities, a goal in step with the breadth of its aspirations, the immense global footprint of its constituents and its potential for life-changing impact.

Earlier this month, the Defy Gravity campaign reached a significant milestone, surpassing more than half of its alumni engagement goal and raising more than $1.6 billion toward its fundraising goal.

“We’re thrilled to see that the campaign has met with early success,” says U of T President Meric Gertler. “This outpouring of support from our global community is helping us pursue bold research and innovation and strengthening our unrivalled commitment to removing barriers to higher education.”

Our alumni and donors are rallying around the campaign’s vision and U of T’s role in addressing global issues. You can really feel the campaign’s momentum and the shared commitment to impact.

To date, the campaign has received donations from more than 45,000 alumni and friends—a measure of the campaign’s broad appeal and the diversity of giving across the university’s three campuses.

“Our alumni and donors are rallying around the campaign’s vision and U of T’s role in addressing global issues,” says Claire Kennedy (BASc 1989), a campaign co-chair. “Their support ensures that our faculty and students have the resources to think boldly about the future, push boundaries within their fields and discover solutions to our most complex problems. You can really feel the campaign’s momentum and the shared commitment to impact across all three campuses and from all corners of our community.”

Our alumni and donors are rallying around the campaign’s vision and U of T’s role in addressing global issues. You can really feel the campaign’s momentum and the shared commitment to impact.

A more inclusive, sustainable and prosperous world

Recent campaign donations are fuelling a diverse range of projects and initiatives—from fostering inclusive entrepreneurship in Scarborough to helping scholars fleeing war and persecution to advancing breakthroughs in precise and personalized surgery.

With inclusive excellence as its driving inspiration, the campaign is also playing a critical role in advancing U of T’s commitment to remaining one of the most accessible, top-ranked universities in the world. Gifts to the campaign are creating opportunities across the university for students from underrepresented communities. This includes new scholarships and bursaries and funding for initiatives such as Indigenous House, the African Impact Challenge and First Exposure—a project that aims to improve maternal and early child health within marginalized, vulnerable and underserved populations.

These initiatives—and many more like them—underscore the campaign’s contribution to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment at the University. In March 2023, the university held its inaugural Giving Day, which raised $1,232,267 from 532 donors to support 37 equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives across the university.

The campaign’s vision for a more inclusive, sustainable and prosperous world is resonating with alumni and donors. Our supporters want to have a lasting impact on society and see U of T as a key partner in making that happen.

“The campaign’s vision for a more inclusive, sustainable and prosperous world is resonating with alumni and donors,” says campaign co-chair John Cassaday (MBA 1981, Hon LLD 2017). “The sheer scope and size of U of T make it a place where you can really move the needle on critical issues. Our supporters want to have a lasting impact on society and see U of T as a key partner in making that happen.”

The campaign’s fundraising success has corresponded with a surge in alumni engagement. Indeed, the campaign passed the halfway mark on its engagement goal ahead of schedule, thanks to 134,520 newly engaged alumni (60 per cent of its target) and 539,598 unique instances of engagement from alumni (54 per cent of its target) through volunteer opportunities, mentoring, donations, alumni programs, event participation and more. Most recently, Alumni Reunion had a record-breaking registration of 12,131 people, making it the largest gathering and celebration of U of T alumni in the University’s almost 200-year history.

The campaign’s vision for a more inclusive, sustainable and prosperous world is resonating with alumni and donors. Our supporters want to have a lasting impact on society and see U of T as a key partner in making that happen.

“We’ve witnessed unprecedented momentum in giving and engagement,” says David Palmer, Vice-President Advancement. “Not only does Defy Gravity support the University’s unique role as the country’s largest engine of social mobility and social progress, but it also helps create a rising tide of generosity that lifts the sights and aspirations for charities across the country. We are immensely grateful to all who have supported the campaign thus far, and we look forward to the incredible things we can accomplish together in the future.”

About Defy Gravity

Defy Gravity—the most comprehensive university campaign in Canadian history—is harnessing the power of the University of Toronto’s worldwide community, including 640,000 alumni, 95,000 students and 23,000 faculty and staff, for the betterment of humanity.

With a strong focus on inclusive excellence, the campaign is helping U of T bring together top minds from every conceivable background and discipline to create a healthier, more sustainable and equitable world and educate the next generation of creative, engaged and caring citizens.

The campaign theme, Defy Gravity, reflects U of T’s history of advancing the frontiers of knowledge by transcending disciplines and borders in a diverse and inclusive community that emboldens students to think big—a community that does things no one else believed possible.

A visionary team of volunteer leaders from across the university community guides the Defy Gravity campaign. The campaign co-chairs are John M. Cassaday (MBA 1981, Hon LLD 2017), Claire M. C. Kennedy (BASc 1989), Brian D. Lawson (BA 1982 TRIN) and Som Seif (BASC 1999).

The campaign has raised $241 million for student financial aid and support, $148 million for faculty support, $785 million for various programs and research and $359 million for critical infrastructure projects across the university’s three campuses.