Parent & Family Giving

As part of our vibrant and proud extended community, parents, and families sustain and strengthen Brown's distinctive brand of academic excellence and enhance educational opportunity for all students through their generosity.

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Parent & Family Giving

As part of our vibrant and proud extended community, parents, and families sustain and strengthen Brown's distinctive brand of academic excellence and enhance educational opportunity for all students through their generosity.

When your student enters Brown, a new world comes alive—one that you, your child, and Brown build together. This shared journey into excellence and educational opportunity becomes even more meaningful for some families when they give through the parent and family giving program. In fact, Brown’s tradition of parental support, accounting for nearly 20% of the total philanthropy to the University each year, is the most robust in the Ivy League.

Your family’s gift, whatever the size, will make an immediate difference for your child and their classmates. Your support can be felt everywhere. It’s in the books that feed their quest for knowledge. It’s in the classes that transform how they think. And, it’s in the experience they will cherish for a lifetime.

Ways to Give

Parents Annual Fund

Giving through the Parents Annual Fund allows Brown to maintain and expand the unparalleled educational opportunities and resources to ensure our students’ success. This family of funds touches nearly every aspect of life at Brown—from providing financial aid to supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs to campus life.

Make your gift    Learn more about annual giving

Family Fellows

Deepen your own relationship with Brown by joining the Brown Family Fellows. Families whose total annual support to the University exceeds $15,000 are welcomed as part of this special giving community..

Family Fellows info

Planned Giving

Leave a legacy by including Brown in your estate or deferred giving plans. Learn about the many giving options available that can help you achieve your philanthropic priorities in a tax-efficient way.

Visit the Brown Planned Giving website

Capstone Gifts

The magnitude of the graduation milestone inspires many families to make a “capstone gift”—a special pledge that celebrates the graduate’s Brown experience.

View our guide to capstone gifts (PDF)

An icon of a family of six in brown.

7,000 +

parents & grandparents gave to Brown

$ 9.7M

in Parents Annual Fund gifts

27 %

of total gifts to Brown made by non-alumni families

*During Fiscal Year 2025

A Framework for Family Giving and Engagement

A family’s giving to Brown will follow a path as unique as our students’ academic journeys. We look forward to providing opportunities for our families to engage, explore, and support Brown as their relationship with the University deepens. Many families support the Annual Fund as an immediate way to make an impact across College Hill while learning about other academic, athletic, and programmatic areas of interest critical to the Brown experience. We invite you to explore engagement and philanthropic opportunities for your family.

For Parents

For Students and Young Alumni

“ When we welcome a new student to Brown, we are welcoming the family as well. Parents are deeply valued members of this community, and we encourage their active participation and involvement in the life of the University. ”

President Christina H. Paxson

Contact the Parent & Family Giving team.

The Brown Parent and Family Giving program aims to connect the families of our students to Brown’s  mission, to the vibrant life of the university, and to the broader Brown community through meaningful opportunities for intellectual engagement, volunteerism, and philanthropy.

For more information, please contact:

Laura B. Smith ’06 
Executive Director of Parent and Family Giving 
laura_beth_smith@brown.edu
families@brown.edu

 

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