Law-school gift shifts
- The Chronicle notes a post-COVID redistribution of major gifts, with smaller law schools landing notable donations. - Specific examples include Cincinnati and New Mexico receiving large gifts that would once go to elite programs. - This trend suggests philanthropic dollars are spreading beyond flagship programs, creating opportunity for mid-sized institutions to compete. (x.com)
Big law-school gifts are landing farther down the rankings ladder, with Cincinnati and New Mexico pulling in record donations in early 2026. (forbes.com) The University of Cincinnati said on March 30 that the Klekamp family committed $43.2 million to its law school, the largest gift in the school’s nearly 200-year history. The school is being renamed the Donald P. Klekamp College of Law. (uc.edu) The University of New Mexico School of Law said on February 24 that alumnus Eric Knapp and Dana Marie Knapp pledged $4.5 million to the Peter A. Winograd Endowed Annual Scholarship in Law, the largest gift in that school’s history. UNM said the fund is designed to support up to 10 full-tuition scholarships each year. (lawschool.unm.edu) Other schools outside the usual top tier also announced large law-school gifts this spring. Roger Williams University said April 13 that Mark Mandell gave $4 million for a trial advocacy center, and the University of South Dakota said a $1 million gift created its first endowed chair. (law.rwu.edu, usd.edu) The pattern marks a break from the older model in which nine-figure and naming-level gifts were more often associated with nationally dominant law schools and medical schools. In the first part of 2026 alone, donors made more than $54 million in major gifts to law schools across a wide range of rankings, according to a Chronicle-based summary republished by NewsBreak. (newsbreak.com, forbes.com) At Cincinnati, the money is earmarked for scholarships, experiential learning, student success and the Corporate Law Center. The school lists 2025-26 full-time tuition and fees at $25,510 for Ohio residents and $30,510 for nonresidents before living costs. (uc.edu, law.uc.edu) At New Mexico, the scholarship gift lands at the state’s only law school. UNM lists 2025-26 tuition and fees at $21,018 for residents and $44,736 for nonresidents, giving a scholarship-focused gift outsized leverage for students deciding where to enroll. (lawschool.unm.edu, lawschool.unm.edu, lsac.org) Some donors are also targeting graduates directly instead of buildings or faculty lines. Indiana University Maurer School of Law said on March 31 that anonymous donors gave nearly $1.6 million so each of the 154 Juris Doctor students in the Class of 2026 would receive $10,000. (blogs.iu.edu) That mix of naming gifts, scholarship endowments and direct student aid suggests donors are spreading money across more campuses and more uses than in the pre-pandemic playbook. For mid-sized public and regional law schools, that can mean more scholarship leverage, more specialized programs and a better shot at competing for students without waiting for an elite-school-sized endowment. (newsbreak.com, law.rwu.edu, uc.edu)
