RPI community fuels record-breaking fundraising year

More than $95 million raised to advance RPI’s students, faculty, research, and future

RPI Campus

The RPI community came together in record numbers in 2025-2026, contributing more than $95 million and surpassing the Institute’s fundraising and engagement goals.

The record year comes at a time of significant momentum for RPI. Over the past year, the Institute has continued to expand its leadership in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, and other fields critical to the future. RPI researchers and faculty are gaining greater national visibility, Commander Reid Wiseman ’97 has extended RPI’s legacy of leadership in space exploration through Artemis II, and the Institute has continued investing in the student experience and the priorities of RPI Forward.

That progress is being strengthened by growing participation from alumni, families, faculty, staff, corporations, foundations, and friends.

“RPI has always been a place where ambitious people come together to solve important problems and build what comes next,” said Martin A. Schmidt ’81, Ph.D., president of RPI. “The extraordinary support of our community gives us the ability to pursue that mission with greater ambition. It helps us attract talented students and faculty, advance important research, and invest in the experiences and opportunities that will define RPI’s third century. Every person who engages with RPI or invests in its future is helping move the Institute forward.”

Highlights from fiscal year 2026 include:

  • Greater investment will accelerate RPI’s priorities. RPI raised more than $95 million from July 2025 through June 2026, an increase of more than $23 million over the previous year. Growth in giving from alumni, friends, faculty, parents, corporations, and foundations provides additional resources for students, faculty, research, and other RPI Forward priorities.
  • A larger, more connected alumni network strengthens RPI’s reach and reputation. More than 24,000 alumni engaged with RPI during the year, a 6.2% increase over fiscal year 2025. These connections create more opportunities for mentorship, careers, philanthropy, advocacy, and partnership.
  • Philanthropy is reaching more of the Institute. Giving across Athletics and RPI’s five schools increased 185% from the previous year. This broader base of support helps schools and programs invest in the people, facilities, and experiences that distinguish an RPI education.
  • More people are participating in RPI’s future. Rπ Giving Day on March 14 raised nearly $1.2 million from 3,299 donors. Funds raised more than doubled the total from two years earlier and increased 58% from the previous year.
  • Growing participation magnifies the impact of every gift. Rπ Giving Day donors increased 14% over the previous year, with more than 40 challenges and matching opportunities completed. Those matches allowed individual contributions to go further while rallying thousands around shared priorities.
  • Expanded foundation funding can fuel research and innovation at greater scale. Foundation awards in fiscal year 2026 more than tripled RPI’s average annual level, creating greater capacity to support research, academic initiatives, students, and emerging areas of importance.
  • The RPI Forward campaign is expanding RPI’s national network. The Institute launched the second phase of its $1.5 billion comprehensive campaign and brought RPI Forward to alumni and friends in New York City, Boston, Sarasota, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. The final two events reached capacity and generated wait lists, reflecting strong interest across the RPI community.

“Deepening alumni engagement and strengthening our community partnerships are central to RPI Forward and our $1.5 billion comprehensive campaign,” said Matthew Ter Molen, vice president of Institute Advancement and chief advancement officer. “This year’s results show a community increasingly engaged in where RPI is going and eager to help us get there. Alumni, families, faculty, staff, corporations, foundations, and friends showed up in extraordinary ways.”

Through July 31, 2026, RPI has raised $891.5 million toward the $1.5 billion goal for RPI Forward: A Campaign for Our Third Century.

Faculty support and research, along with scholarships and fellowships, are currently the two largest areas of giving. Investments in scholarships expand access to an RPI education and help reduce financial barriers for talented students. Support for faculty and research helps RPI attract exceptional scholars, pursue ambitious ideas, and give students opportunities to work alongside faculty in hands-on research and discovery, continuing an educational model that has distinguished RPI for more than 200 years.

This record year gives RPI a stronger foundation for what comes next. Continued generosity and involvement from alumni and friends will help the Institute compete for exceptional talent, advance work of national and global significance, and extend RPI’s impact in its third century. For more information about RPI Forward: A Campaign for Our Third Century, visit the campaign website.