Each year, the AAMC conducts the Development Survey to measure the impact, costs, and staffing of fundraising at its member medical schools and academic health systems and teaching hospitals. These survey data are used by medical school deans, academic health system and teaching hospital CEOs, chief development officers, and other leaders to assess integral components of a successful development program and to make effective decisions on the deployment of organizational resources. Through the compilation and analysis of annual data, the ongoing survey provides the opportunity for academic medicine organizations to identify philanthropic trends useful for development planning and management.
Survey Results
Key Results
Highlighted here are key results from the 2025 survey of 119 institutions (reporting 2024-2025 gift year data) as of August 20, 2026.
Total private support
- $105.8 million: mean total private support per institution in 2024-2025
- 0.7% increase from $105.1 million per institution in 2023-2024
- $145.7 million: mean total private support per institution for private institutions in 2024-2025
- $63.0 million: mean total private support per institution for public institutions in 2024-2025
- $44.1 million: mean total private support per institution for medical schools in 2024-2025
- $191.4 million: mean total private support per institution for teaching hospitals in 2024-2025
- $125.6 million: mean total private support per institution for joint programs in 2024-2025
Fundraising costs and return on investment
- $12.5 million: mean fundraising cost per institution in 2024-2025
- 13.4% increase from 2023-2024
- $0.12: median fundraising cost per dollar raised in 2024-2025
- $8.43: median return on investment per dollar invested in 2024-2025
Gifts of $1 million+
- 2,192 total reported gifts and pledges over $1 million in 2024-2025
- 394 total reported gifts and pledges over $5 million in 2024-2025
Institutional giving
- $70.2 million: mean total private support from institutions and organizations per institution in 2024-2025
- 6.2% increase in mean total private support from institutions and organizations per institution from 2023-2024
- $92.7 million: mean total support from institutions and organizations per institution in 2024-2025 for private institutions
- $45.6 million: mean total support from institutions and organizations per institution in 2024-2025 for public institutions
- $105,913: average gift from institutions and organizations per institution in 2024-2025
- 4.3% increase in average gift from institutions and organizations per institution from 2023-2024
- $111,467: mean gift size from institutions and organizations per institution in 2024-2025 for private institutions
- $99,844: mean gift size from institutions and organizations per institution in 2024-2025 for public institutions