Unrestricted giving
Think of unrestricted gifts as the key in the lock: they open doors. Better yet, think of unrestricted gifts as the bridge over the river: they get us from where we are today to where we need to be tomorrow.
Unrestricted gifts go directly toward solving the Institute’s most pressing needs. They create opportunities. They keep MIT’s great engine of learning—teaching and research alike—humming. And, they improve the quality of campus life. To cite just a few examples:
- Seeding new research. When MIT Nobelist Samuel Ting wanted to launch a sophisticated search for the so-called “dark matter” of the universe, he was able to draw on unrestricted funds in the School of Science. Consequently, Ting’s bold new idea is now a several-hundred-million-dollar space
experiment that will be permanently installed on the International Space Station.
- Innovative extracurricular learning. Unrestricted funds have made it possible for students to learn vital leadership skills through MIT’s unique LeaderShape® program. LeaderShape® has students planning ambitious team enterprises and fine-tuning them, with faculty aid, in intensive week-long workshops.
- Enhancing infrastructure. The lower Vassar Street area, near the Ray and Maria Stata Center and the brain and cognitive sciences complex, has
blossomed into a lively and exciting streetscape—not only facilitating pedestrian, pedal, and vehicular travel through the area, but also encouraging an active street-and-courtyard culture. In large part, this is also thanks to unrestricted resources.
We welcome gifts of any amount to the unrestricted resources of the Institute, and suggest you consider directing your contribution to one of the funds listed below:
To discuss a special gift to the unrestricted resources of the Institute, please contact Stuart Krantz, director of individual giving, at skrantz@mit.edu or 617.253.5905.
Or, search or browse for
a gift designation that more closely suits your objectives …
Whatever floats your boat
Ivan Burns ’69
During his first few days on campus, Ivan Burns tried out for freshman
crew. His MIT rowing career lasted about half an hour.
“We were all lined up on the wharf that first day. The coach walked
down the line until he came to me. He stopped and said, ‘You. Too small.
Out.’”
Others might have been discouraged—but Burns never abandoned his
interest. About 15 years ago, he discovered competitive indoor rowing. And
by age 42, Burns was ranked among the world’s top five senior lightweights
in indoor rowing.
“One message I learned from my professors at MIT,” he explains, “is
that you should find something that really excites you, focus on it, and
do very well with it.”
When it came to making a gift to MIT, Burns decided to let the Institute
direct the focus, and designated his $100,000 contribution to MIT’s
unrestricted resources.
“I’m excited about a lot of things MIT does,” he explains. “And
I know that colleges and universities greatly appreciate unrestricted funds.”
Burns earned bachelor’s (’69) and master’s (’70)
degrees in electrical engineering from MIT, followed by an M.B.A. from Harvard
in ’72. He later founded a company that develops fundraising software
for colleges and other non-profit institutions.
Today, Burns and his wife live in Concord, Massachusetts, with their three
daughters, the eldest of whom is currently a student at MIT.
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