Just one year after celebrating the completion of Trent University’s most ambitious fundraising campaign to date, Unleash the Potential, the Trent family of donors has come together to set a new record, marking the best fundraising year in Trent history.

Since April 2018, over $6.3 million has been raised to elevate the transformative student experience for which Trent is known and to accelerate world-class teaching and research.

“The extraordinary success of the last campaign, followed by our best fundraising year to date, highlights what is possible when people who believe in what we do as an institution come together to invest in the power of education to transform lives and build community,” said Julie Davis, vice-president, External Relations & Advancement. “Our supporters’ generosity enables this transformative, responsive place of learning to nurture engaged students and address critical issues facing the world today,”

The momentum continues, as more than 1816 donors contributed this year. These gifts included 726 first-time donors, a 56% increase over last year. More than 39 new funds were established this year, touching every corner of Trent—from athletics to the enhancement of Indigenous spaces.

Leading the way, the Campaign for Trent Durham GTA is poised to help usher an exciting future into reality. The $5-million fundraising campaign has seen an outpouring of support for the campus expansion from the City of Oshawa, the Region of Durham, and a lead gift from Durham Radio president, Trent alumnus and co-chair of the campaign executive Doug Kirk ’70. In addition, gifts from honorary degree recipient Katie Taylor, Canada’s first female bank chair, and alumnus Garry Cubitt ’67 will increase financial aid for students at the Durham GTA campus.

Other highlights of this milestone year include significant investments in experiential learning, research, the Centre for Teaching and Learning, and Student Accessibility Services:

• CIBC’s Cancer Care Initiatives provides funds to support experiential learning for cancer care placements, Mastectomy Tattoo Research, and networking opportunities within the local Community of Cancer Care Practice.
   
• The Centre for Teaching and Learning and Student Accessibility Services received support from alumna Karen Wickerson ’87, through The Wickerson Found­ation Fund, for two faculty grants of $4,000 each to create and implement course-based universal design strategies to support diverse student learning needs and address barriers to learning.
   
• The Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation Centre received support through the RBC Future Launch Program for career enhancement workshops.

This year inspired all levels of giving with 70% of gifts under $100 each. Every dollar mattered as the Trent family of donors helped create more career-enhancing opportunities for students, supported more students through scholarships and bursaries, enabled supports for Indigenous learners, and elevated teaching excellence and world-class research.

In the words of donor Ms. Karen Wickerson ’87, “I want to give back to Trent as a token of deep gratitude for the assistance I received as a Trent student.”