The Cornell Parents Fund: Parent's Frequent Questions

What is the Parents Fund?

The Parents Fund program, begun in 1990, has established a strong tradition of parent support at Cornell. The program encourages gift-giving as a primary way for parents to express their satisfaction with the undergraduate experiences of their children. Gifts from parents help Cornell maintain its position as an international leader in higher education and demonstrate a special vote of confidence in the work being done at the University.

What constitutes a Parents Fund gift?

The Parents Fund is the total of all gifts given by non-alumni parents and grandparents in a given year. Gifts from alumni parents are not counted toward Parents Fund totals.

Can parents designate a Parents Fund gift to their Cornellian's College?

Yes. Cornell is aware that Annual Fund gifts are needed in all areas of the University and allows designation of these gifts to all seven Colleges, Athletics, the Library, the Museum, the Plantations, Shoals Marine Laboratory, undergraduate scholarships, and Student and Academic Services. This allows deans and directors maximum flexibility for responding to needs within their area of oversight. Gifts to the Cornell Parents Fund support: Every student, in every study, every year.

A Sampling of Parents Fund Gifts in Action:

• Foster Relationships between alumni and students. Parents Fund gifts helped to provide seed funding for the Cornell Alumni-Student Mentoring Program. This program gives alumni the opportunity to enhance the quality of the undergraduate experience for those who come after them by interacting, exchanging ideas, and sharing their experiences and knowledge with future Cornellians. Alumni mentors give back to their alma mater by serving as role models and leaders as they help today's generation of students reach their goals.
• Provide quality cultural experiences for all students to enrich the Cornell experience. Each year, gifts to the Cornell Parents Fund help sponsor lectureships and funds to hire visiting professors and actors to work in Cornell's Music and Theatre departments, both part of the College of Arts and Sciences.
• Support lab renovations. Cornell Parents Fund gifts helped create imaging rooms that allow visualization of nerve cells in intact, living animals and physiological situations with specialized equipment used to record data from individual nerve cells in the brain or spinal cord.
• Supplement the budget of intercollegiate student organizations. As one example, Parents Fund gifts have helped Forensics Society members travel to attend speech and debate competitions for which the self-supporting organization would normally not have funds. Such opportunities help to spread the good name of Cornell and to showcase the talent of Cornell students.
• Help in times of crisis. Following Hurricane Katrina, Cornell's doors were opened to welcome mover 200 Tulane University students. In addition, some faculty members were offered visiting professor positions and welcomed to use Cornell's libraries and other research facilities. Cornell provided counseling services and increased financial aid to the 700 students who were affected by the hurricane and flooding.
• Help sponsor international scholar group visits. Gifs to the International Program support the continued involvement of CALS faculty and students in international teaching and research activities. Bridging the Rift (BTR), the Collaborative Crops Research Program (CCRP), and the Institute for Genomic Diversity (IGD), are three such programs that address the vital global issues generated at the nexus of population, agriculture, and the environment.

Ways of Giving

• Personal check (payable to Cornell University)
       Mail to:
       The Cornell Annual Fund
       PO Box 2600
       Ithaca, NY 14851-9968
• Credit Card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover)
       Call the Cornell Annual Fund: 800-279-3099
       Or give online at: www.alumni.cornell.edu/giving
• Appreciated Securities, Mutual Fund Shares, Life Insurance, or Real Estate
• Call the Office of Trusts, Estates, and Gift Planning for information and strategies for funding planned gifts, including life income agreements, gifts of securities, and Cornell's donor-advised fund: (800)-481-1865

Pledge Fulfillment Options

You may bill a credit card monthly or quarterly, or you may request electronic fund transfers to be drawn directly from an existing bank account. Go to http://www.alumni.cornell.edu/giving/autopayment.cfm for more details or to sign up for automatic payment.

Matching Gifts

• In addition to increasing your gift, matching funds from an employer count toward Giving Society membership and reunion fundraising goals. Check with the human resources department at your place of employment to obtain matching gift forms.
• Both members of a couple receive membership credit with one gift, whether alumni, parents, or friends.
• To become a member of a Giving Society, all gifts must be received by June 30 of each fiscal year (Cornell's fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30).
• Giving Society membership is determined by the cumulative amount given in a fiscal year.

Giving Levels