Amherst families fuel their students' confidence, leadership, and creativity throughout their educational journey. Your gift to the Parents' Fund goes to work immediately, ensuring that students have the best experience that Amherst has to offer.

Honor what is most meaningful for your family by designating your gift to one of the following areas representing the most fundamental and mission-driven elements of an Amherst education.

Professor Patricia OHara performing a chemistry experiment with two students Academic Life

Extraordinary intellectual growth happens when students are able to work closely with faculty. Gifts to Academic Life support outstanding scholars who are committed above all to teaching and learning, making Amherst renowned for its faculty's "ethic of care" as well as its intellectual rigor.

 

Silouette of actors in a show The Arts

From three world-class museums to culturally-rich performances and exhibitions, the arts at Amherst encourage students to discover and deepen their creative potential.

 

Men's soccer team in a huddle Athletics

The oldest college athletics program in the nation, 11 NCAA Division III championships, and 53 NESCAC championships, Amherst is an athletics powerhouse. Your gift supports student-athletes and their coaches who compete for the love of the game.


image of student walking on campus COVID-19 Fund

Make a gift to the COVID-19 Student Support Fund to help ensure that students can focus on their studies, not on financial concerns or health and safety. Gifts to this fund help defray the cost of replacing student earnings with additional grants, providing laptops to students with need who are studying remotely, supplying the on-campus community with PPE and testing, and much more.

image from commencement Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Amherst is committed to taking a strong stand and making bold efforts to create a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive college. When you make a gift to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion priority within the Parents' Fund, your gift will go where it is most needed to help the College implement its Anti-Racism Plan, support programs spearheaded by the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, promote and uphold relevant curricular and co-curricular development and fund programs for students, faculty and staff.

Three students posing on ice skates Student Life

Amherst's overarching goal is to create a vibrant educational experience in which students flourish personally as well as intellectually. A gift to Student Life helps advance community and extracurricular activities, foster friendships that last a lifetime, and provide students with satisfaction in both the life of the mind and the social environment available to them.

Student holding a "thank you" sign Financial Aid

From the beginning, an Amherst education has been subsidized by the generosity of founders, alumni, parents and friends. Today, thanks to this continued tradition of philanthropy, Amherst is one of only four U.S. institutions that is need-blind and meets the full demonstrated need for both U.S. and international students.

 

Undesignated gifts will go toward Amherst's current highest priorities, allowing Amherst to meet core commitments, pursue new initiatives, and be responsive in ways that improve the quality of life across campus.

 

                            Gifts to teh Parents' Fund support the College's operating budget

For additional information about The Parents' Fund, please contact Emily Ziomek, Associate Director of the Amherst Fund - Family Giving at eziomek@amherst.edu or 413.542.5340. Visit our Parents & Families page for updates on events and other resources.

Parents' Fund