The Catholic University of America celebrated Founders Day on April 10, the day the University was founded in 1887. Alumni rallied to make the 2026 Founders Day Giving Challenge the most successful to date with $640,000 raised by 847 donors. The 2026 Founders Day Giving Challenge broke the previous 2025 record of $508,215.
On April 10, 1887, Pope Leo XIII granted the request of the archbishop of Baltimore to establish a Catholic university for the nation. The founders’ vision for The Catholic University of America: a research university that is “faithfully Catholic,” "thoroughly American,” and adapted to meet the “needs of our age and country.”
On Founders Day, we honored our history and sought to ensure our continued growth. As Catholic University adapts to increasing competition for fewer undergraduate students nationwide, giving is central to our story and our success. Scholarships could be the deciding factor for whether or not a student attends Catholic University.
The Cardinal community was invited to join a 24-hour giving challenge to celebrate our past and sustain our future. Held on April 9–10, 2026, donors gave to what mattered most to them — from schools to athletic programs to student organizations.
Your Gift Mattered.
“Founders Day highlighted the remarkable generosity of our Cardinal community. The enthusiasm and friendly competition among alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, and friends were a testament to the shared commitment to Catholic University’s future,” said Jenn Austin, senior director of annual giving. “Each gift, no matter the size, plays a vital role in shaping a transformative experience for our students.”
Donations drive Cardinal achievements by strengthening academic programs and rankings. The Conway School of Nursing is No. 28 among all 689 nursing schools in the nation. The Columbus School of Law has flown up the rankings to No. 71. Poets&Quants ranked the Busch School of Business in the top 10% of more than 550 business schools in the United States.
We have been blessed by a generous alumni community. In supporting their alma mater, alumni were able to see the impact of their support for our current students. Whether through Campus Ministry immersion trips, athletics nutrition resources, or state-of-the-art tools to enhance vital research, alumni support was vital and felt in every part of campus.
“As students, our alumni received the opportunity to have a transformational experience here at The Catholic University of America,” said Brian Kohler, B.A. 2001, assistant vice president for alumni engagement and annual giving. “Giving helped ensure that current and future Catholic University students continued to receive that same transformational experience and became the person God called them to be. Together, our gifts ensured that all members of the Cardinal community would forever make an impact in service to the Church, the nation, and the world.”
Whether alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, or friends, we invited our Cardinal community to celebrate our history and mission as the Bishops’ University. Donors could still make a gift to support the area of Catholic University that means the most to them.
Published on: Monday, April 13, 2026 by Audrey Hill
Tags: Founders Day Giving Challenge, Founders Day
