Our Philanthropic Impact
We're Changing the World
On March 9, 1926, in Henry E. Huntington’s drawing room, 100 far-sighted philanthropists gathered for the first meeting of the Associates of the California Institute of Technology. They set out to advance public understanding of scientific research, foster collaboration between academia and industry, and help establish Caltech as a global leader in science and engineering.
The most visionary among the founders could not have imagined the scope and span of impact their generosity would make on Caltech and in the world, nor the remarkable growth of the organization they founded. Through their philanthropy, the Associates have helped shape the Institute's modern campus, endowed professorships and scholarships, and supported pioneering research that others deemed too ambitious or risky.
In my view, there are no other organizations as philanthropically effective as Caltech. It has a high return rate for the aggressive science it pursues.
Philanthropy in Action
$2.5+ Billion in Total Giving
Since our founding in 1926, Associates members have given more than $2.5 billion to the Institute. These gifts have advanced every area of campus, building state-of-the-art facilities, acquiring and developing cutting-edge instrumentation, supporting faculty and students, and funding promising early-stage research that has often led to transformative discoveries. Faculty and alumni of "small but mighty" Caltech have earned 48 Nobel Prizes and have literally redefined the outlines of the universe as we know it. Learn more about the Institute's contributions to human knowledge.
$75 Million in Unrestricted Membership Gifts
Associates members make annual tax-deductible membership gifts. These unrestricted gifts provide an essential source of flexible funding that the Institute can use where it is needed most. Associates membership gifts have been used to purchase new tools and technology to advance research, upgrade laboratories and equipment, recruit and retain faculty, and seed "high-risk, high-reward" ventures, including the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, which made history in 2015 with the first detection of gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of spacetime caused by the merger of two black holes.
50+ Campus Buildings
When the Associates organization was formed, Caltech had only recently evolved from a small vocational school into an emerging research institute with departments in engineering, chemistry, and physics. Members of the Associates helped accelerate development by funding the construction of a biology department and laboratory and the creation of a home for a new humanities department. Over the last century, Associates members have made extensive investments in the campus, helping to fund the construction and renovation of more than 50 facilities, including the recently completed Resnick Sustainability Center, which has received several prestigious awards for its design and construction and achieved LEED Platinum v4 certification for sustainable, energy-efficient building design.
50+ Endowed Professorships
From its earliest days, Caltech has emphasized recruiting and retaining the brightest, most inventive minds to build and sustain a world-leading research center. Small and selective by design, the Institute has achieved remarkable results because of this philosophy. By one measure of distinction, Caltech is granted more patents per faculty member than any other university in the United States. Endowed professorships ensure that the scientists and engineers who hold them have the resources to pursue their most ambitious ideas.
100+ Endowed Undergraduate Scholarships
Caltech is among a small number of private US institutions that base admissions decisions solely on merit. Scholarships are essential to the Institute's long-standing commitment to enabling the most qualified candidates to bring their talents here, regardless of financial constraints. In addition to endowing more than 100 undergraduate scholarships, many Associates members contribute to the Associates Endowed Scholarship Fund, which provides additional grants to students each year. Learn more about the importance of undergraduate scholarships.
85+ Endowed Graduate Fellowships
Faculty take pride in training scientists who go on to make a substantial impact across academia, business, and industry. Exceptional graduate students make the Institute more attractive to exceptional faculty, who choose institutions based on the quality of students who can support their research. These faculty-student partnerships have the potential to transform science, technology, and society. Associates members have endowed more than 85 graduate fellowships to attract the most talented student researchers in a globally competitive academic environment. Learn more about graduate fellowships at Caltech.