Key Takeaways
- Centre College announced a $225 million gift from an anonymous donor on October 16, 2026, to launch a $450 million fundraising campaign.
- The gift will create the Centre Forever Fund, an endowment for merit- and need-based scholarships and academic excellence.
- A Form 990 record shows the gift equals about 1.6 times the total revenue Centre College of Kentucky reported for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Centre College announced a $225 million gift from an anonymous donor on October 16, 2026. The gift anchors the public launch of Pillars of Excellence: The Campaign for Centre College, a $450 million fundraising effort at the college in Danville, Kentucky. The college calls the campaign the most ambitious in its 207-year history.
The gift is about 1.6 times the $139,089,920 in total revenue that Centre College of Kentucky reported for the fiscal year ending June 2025, according to its Form 990 record on ProPublica. A Form 990 is the annual information return that tax-exempt organizations file with the federal government. That filing covers a year that ended before the October 2026 announcement, so the comparison measures scale, not timing.
What the $225 Million Gift Will Fund at Centre College
The college says the gift will create the Centre Forever Fund, which will provide endowed merit- and need-based scholarships and support for academic excellence. Merit-based awards go to students for achievement, and need-based awards go to students who show financial need. An endowment is a fund invested to provide money for a purpose over many years. The college also says 98% of its graduates are employed or in graduate school within a year of graduation.
Dr. Milton C. Moreland, president of Centre College, said: "Together with the support of thousands of Centre alumni and friends, this Campaign will propel Centre toward its goal of doubling its endowment, now about $450 million, and expanding opportunities for every Centre student." Louisville Business First reported that the goal is to double the endowment to about $900 million, twice the college's $450 million.
With the gift, the college says it has raised $350 million in commitments from alumni, parents, and friends since the campaign's quiet phase began in 2020. Anonymous donor said in the announcement: "We believe in where this College is headed, and we hope this gift encourages others to join us in making a Centre education possible for every student who has earned it."
Centre College's Form 990 Shows the Gift's Scale
The latest Form 990 record for Centre College of Kentucky, employer identification number 61-0444671, covers the fiscal year ending June 2025. It reports total revenue of $139,089,920, total assets of $704,006,525, and net assets of $513,847,873. Net assets are what remains after a nonprofit subtracts its liabilities from its assets.
Measured against those totals, the gift equals 161.8 percent of total revenue and 43.8 percent of net assets. These are arithmetic comparisons from the filing, not measures of cash on hand. The campaign goal is $450 million, so the gift equals half of that target.
Related WYDE coverage: Ken Griffin Gives Carnegie Mellon a Record $3 Billion, the Largest US University Gift.
Related WYDE coverage: Nearly 200 Private Colleges Borrowed From Restricted Donor Endowments in 2025, WSJ Reports.
Centre College $225 Million Gift: Payment Timing Not Stated
The release's text uses the word pledge, and several versions of its headline use the word bequest. A pledge is a promise to pay, and a bequest is a gift left in a will. The release does not say when the money will be paid or whether any of it is available in cash now. The release also does not break the gift into shares for scholarships and for academic programs.
People Also Ask
Who pledged $225 million to Centre College?
Centre College did not name the donor. The college announced on October 16, 2026, that an anonymous donor pledged $225 million to launch its $450 million Pillars of Excellence campaign.
What is the Centre Forever Fund?
The Centre Forever Fund is the endowment that the $225 million gift will create at Centre College. It will provide endowed merit- and need-based scholarships and support for academic excellence, according to the college.
How large is the Centre College endowment?
Centre College said on October 16, 2026, that its endowment was about $450 million, and its campaign aims to double it. Louisville Business First reported that the goal is to double the endowment to about $900 million, twice the college's $450 million.
How does the gift compare with Centre College's revenue?
The $225 million gift is about 1.6 times the $139,089,920 in total revenue that Centre College of Kentucky reported for the fiscal year ending June 2025. The comparison uses the college's latest Form 990 record on ProPublica.
Sources: Centre College, Louisville Business First, ProPublica.