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Giving
Gift Destinations

Gift Destinations

Your gift. Your impact. Mount Holyoke’s future.

Gifts to The Mount Holyoke Fund sustain the College’s annual operating budget and impact every aspect of campus life. Through The Mount Holyoke Fund, you can direct your support to the areas that matter most to you — from advancing the bold priorities of the MHC Forward strategic plan to strengthening the programs, people and traditions that shape the Mount Holyoke experience every day.

Your gift ensures Mount Holyoke thrives today — and will continue to thrive for generations to come.

Support strategic priorities

These priorities are aligned with the MHC Forward strategic plan.

MHC Forward Fund

The MHC Forward Fund is a vital priority within The Mount Holyoke Fund that empowers President Holley and College leadership to respond with strength and agility to pressing and emerging challenges facing higher education today.

Your gift supports:

Protection of academic freedom in a shifting political climate.
Assistance for students navigating global and domestic pressures.
Investments that advance Mount Holyoke’s bold, inclusive mission.

Campus renewal

Mount Holyoke’s 700-acre campus — with its historic architecture, lakes, gardens and landscapes — is central to the College’s identity. Your gift both renews and sustains classrooms, labs and gathering spaces and ensures that they remain inspiring, sustainable and ready for future generations.

Your gift supports:

Renovation and renewal of historic buildings.
Sustainability and accessibility features in campus renewal projects.
Maintenance of academic and community spaces.
Stewardship of landscapes and natural spaces that define Mount Holyoke.

Career preparedness and The Lynk

The Lynk initiative is Mount Holyoke’s signature program linking rigorous academics with real-world experience to prepare students for meaningful careers and lifelong adaptability. Through internships, advising and alum mentoring, students develop confidence and skills to lead across all fields.

Your gift supports:

Guaranteed funding for one internship or research opportunity for every student.
Enhanced advising, alum mentoring and career development programs.
Impactful events, such as the annual LEAP Symposium showcasing student internship experiences or the Sophomore Institute, a three-day immersive conference to prepare students as they begin their journeys in the professional world.

Industry visits and networking through The Lynk on the Road and the Career Development Center.

Residence hall renewal

Mount Holyoke’s 18 residence halls provide more than housing — they are centers of learning, belonging and personal growth. Within each residence hall, we aim to foster a sense of community, belonging and connection across classes or among affinity groups. Your gift helps ensure that our residence halls meet the evolving residential needs of our diverse community, a key component of the MHC Forward strategic plan, while honoring the architectural legacy that makes Mount Holyoke’s campus distinctive.

Your gift supports:

Renovations and essential maintenance projects.
Upgrades that improve accessibility and sustainability.
Modern community spaces that foster community and belonging.
Preservation of the College’s distinctive architectural legacy.

Scholarships

Mount Holyoke’s core mission has remained steadfast since the College’s founding in 1837: to offer students from all backgrounds an unparalleled opportunity to learn and shape their own futures. The exceptional diversity of experiences that students bring — to the classroom, the campus and the alum network — ensures that our graduates enter the world as global citizens. Mount Holyoke gives nearly 70% of students between $85 million and $90 million in total scholarship aid each year.

Your gift ensures that affordability and access remain core to our mission.

Scholarship destinations include:

General Aid: Your gift to the general scholarship aid destination helps provide access to the dynamic, rigorous Mount Holyoke education for students from all backgrounds.
First-Generation Aid: First-generation students — those who are the first in their families to attend college and who did or do not have parents, guardians or family systems to assist them in navigating the college process — face unique challenges throughout their time at Mount Holyoke. Your gift to this destination will provide scholarship aid specifically for first-generation students.
Frances Perkins Aid: Each year, approximately 90 diverse and intellectually curious Frances Perkins scholars are enrolled at Mount Holyoke. These students of nontraditional age who have not yet earned an undergraduate degree have followed an unconventional path to the College but have varied lived experiences that create an unparalleled opportunity for our entire community to learn, grow and evolve. Your gift to this destination will provide scholarship aid specifically for Frances Perkins scholars.
International Aid: Each year, over 20% of the student body is made up of international students from around the globe. The undergraduate experience for these students is complicated by their being farther away from their homes and support systems than most domestic students and having extra hurdles to navigate, such as visas and government regulations. Your gift to this destination will provide scholarship aid specifically for international students.

The Mount Holyoke Fund Scholars Program (gifts of $5,000 of more)

The Mount Holyoke Fund Scholars Program is a unique opportunity for you to support need-based financial aid at the College. Your one-time gift of $10,000 or multiyear commitment of $5,000 per year for four or five years will establish a scholarship that will carry your name and class year (unless otherwise requested). Donors to The Mount Holyoke Fund Scholars Program will receive information about the student assigned to their scholarship in a mailing sent in June.

Options for supporting a Mount Holyoke Fund Scholar include:

A one-time annual gift of $10,000 or more.
A multiyear commitment of $5,000 per year for four or five years for a total contribution of $20,000 to $25,000.

Please note that donors who make gifts to The Mount Holyoke Fund Scholars Program after March 31 will receive student information in May or June of the next academic year.

Sustainability Initiatives

Mount Holyoke is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by its 2037 bicentennial. Your gift helps drive progress toward a sustainable future while giving students hands-on opportunities to lead on climate and environmental issues.

Your gift supports:

The geothermal project, the College’s transition to a geothermal heat-exchange system, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80%.
Energy efficiency and conservation initiatives.
Retrofitting historic buildings with sustainable systems.
The Campus Living Laboratory, including restoration ecology and student-faculty research.

Additional ways to have an impact

Academic enrichment

Mount Holyoke empowers students to explore ideas, debate complex issues and think critically across disciplines. Your gift for academic enrichment programs fuels innovation in teaching and learning, helping students become leaders, problem-solvers and global citizens.

Your gift supports:

More than 40 majors and hundreds of courses, including interdisciplinary programs.
Nexus concentrations in fields such as data science, journalism and global business.
Academic centers that prepare students to read, write and speak with confidence, to communicate across differences and to lead with global and environmental responsibility.
Fimbel Maker & Innovation Lab, where creativity and technology intersect.
Entrepreneurial and innovation programming.

Accessibility

Mount Holyoke is committed to ensuring all students can fully participate in the College experience. Your gift strengthens Disability Services and advances a culture of access and inclusion.

Your gift supports:

Accommodations that make coursework and activities accessible.
Campus initiatives that reduce barriers for students with disabilities.
Programs that foster dialogue around ability, equity and inclusion.

Athletics

From the beginning, Mount Holyoke has recognized the benefits of physical activity for personal growth, for a balanced life and for camaraderie. Founder Mary Lyon was one of the country’s earliest advocates of physical education classes for women, and in the College’s first days, all students were required to walk a mile each day after breakfast. Today, our athletics and recreational programs and facilities offer students invaluable opportunities to build connections, develop crucial leadership skills and sustain a healthy and active lifestyle.

Your gift supports:

Ten varsity teams and a growing number of club sports.
The nationally recognized Equestrian Center.
Fitness and recreational programming at Kendall Sports & Dance Complex.

Community and belonging

Mount Holyoke fosters a community where every student feels they belong. Your gift supports initiatives that celebrate diversity, strengthen connection and encourage dialogue across differences.

Your gift supports:

The MoZone Peer Education Program, which aims to increase awareness and dialogue about social justice issues.
Five cultural centers, which provide resources for groups historically targeted and marginalized within society.
Programming including the annual Fighting Antisemitism at Mount Holyoke and Beyond Series, which is focused on educating and building allies in support of the Jewish community.

The Intergroup Dialogue program, which seeks to help those in our campus community and beyond communicate across differences.

Diversity, equity and inclusion

Mount Holyoke strives to build and maintain a campus environment that is inclusive, pluralistic and free of discrimination. Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts extend beyond specific departments and are embedded in all areas of the College.

Your gift supports:

Educational events and content like the annual community wide Building On Our Momentum (BOOM!) Learning Symposium, an equity learning event celebrated throughout the campus.
Events such as the Trailblazers of Color Leadership Conference.
Year-round resources and programs advancing equity and inclusion.

Faculty

Mount Holyoke faculty are dedicated teacher-scholars who mentor students and contribute to knowledge globally. Your gift sustains their excellence and innovation.

Your gift supports:

Recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty.
Maintaining a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, which keeps classes small.

Programs — such as the Teaching and Learning Initiative and sabbaticals — that challenge faculty to grow as scholars and implement innovative and inclusive ideas to reach and inspire students.

Library and archives

Renowned as one of the most beautiful campus libraries in the country, the Williston Memorial Library houses the humanities, social sciences and science collections, which include newspaper, periodical and microfilm collections. The Archives and Special Collections include more than 9,000 linear feet of unpublished manuscript materials and 11,000 published volumes. Wherever a student chooses to study — in the Mediated Educational Work Space, the Stimson Room, the main floor or one of the hideaway rooms — the library and archives are central to learning, research and discovery.

Your gift supports:

Access to thousands of journals, more than 800,000 physical volumes and many thousands of online resources.
Expansion of collections that are responsive to our students’ evolving needs.
Preservation of rare books, manuscripts and archival materials.

Mental health and well-being

College is a transformative — and sometimes challenging — time for students as they learn, grow and prepare for life beyond the College gates. Student well-being is essential to academic and personal success. Your gift expands resources that help students navigate challenges and build resilience.

Your gift supports:

The Counseling Service to address mental health needs as students navigate challenges at Mount Holyoke, from managing stress, anxiety and depression to cultivating healthy relationships and overcoming barriers that prevent them from reaching their goals.
Be Well at Mount Holyoke and similar educational and skill development opportunities.
Additional resources to help all students learn when to take a break, when to ask for assistance, how to best support and be supported by other people, how to manage the unexpected and how to tolerate distress.

Student life

Mount Holyoke students are challenged in class to develop their intellect, hone the power of their voices and cultivate courage. Life outside the classroom is just as integral to the Mount Holyoke experience. Your gift supports traditions, organizations and services that bring the community together.

Your gift supports:

Beloved traditions, such as Convocation, Mountain Day and Pangy Day.
More than 100 student organizations that enrich campus life.
Living-Learning Communities that connect students with shared interests.

Crucial student services, such as Health Services.

Student safety net fund

First-generation and low-income (FGLI) students bring unique strengths, skills and perspectives to Mount Holyoke’s diverse learning community, and the College is invested in their success. As a nationally recognized member of the FirstGen Forward Network, Mount Holyoke works diligently to help FGLI students navigate any academic, social, financial and career challenges they may face during their College experience.

Your gift supports:

Emergency assistance for housing, food or technology.
Academic resources that ensure student success.
Relief from financial stressors so students can focus on learning.

Technology and teaching tools

Cutting-edge technology enhances teaching, learning and discovery. Your gift equips students and faculty with the tools they need to excel.

Your gift supports:

Assistive technology for students with disabilities.
Advanced scientific instrumentation for research.
Digital labs and mediated classrooms that enrich learning.

Visual and performing arts

The arts inspire creativity, expression and confidence. Your gift sustains opportunities for students to engage in music, theater, dance and visual art.

Your gift supports:

Ensembles, productions and dance companies.
Art classes, exhibitions and visiting speakers.
Equipment, stage lighting and materials for student performances.