Sweet Briar Celebrates Milestone with $14 Million Raised During 125th Anniversary Year

Sweet Briar celebrates a landmark fundraising year with $14 million raised to support scholarships, academic excellence, and the future of women’s education.

SWEET BRIAR, VA, UNITED STATES, July 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On June 30, 2026, Sweet Briar College concluded its 2025-2026 fiscal year. Donors to the College, including alumnae and friends, corporations, and foundations, contributed to Sweet Briar’s overall fundraising effort of $14,055,476.

Sweet Briar College also began celebrations of its 125th Anniversary during the 2025-2026 fiscal year, honoring its history of educating women leaders who go on to make a positive impact on the world.

These gifts make a difference to Sweet Briar’s current generation of women leaders in myriad ways, including their academic careers, the opportunities to take advantage of the College’s Grants for Engaged Learning (GELs), academic program enhancements and professional opportunities for faculty, and more.

The fundraising total is comprised of unrestricted, restricted, and campaign contributions. Sweet Briar set a goal to raise $5.5 million in gifts to the Sweet Briar Fund, its unrestricted annual giving program, and exceeded that goal with a total of $6,143,720 raised.

The College also received restricted gifts and grants, capital and endowment contributions, and trust distributions; these categories totaled $2,269,468 this fiscal year. Unrestricted and restricted realized bequests resulted in $521,424 in planned gifts to Sweet Briar.

Gifts to Sweet Briar’s campaign funds, which include some capital and endowment funds, totaled $5,120,864. These gifts provided partial funding for the Honors Program and the electrical system upgrade and will support future capital projects such as the rehabilitation of Gray Hall and the renovation of Guion Science Center.

In May of 2026, 106 of Sweet Briar’s newest alumnae graduated from the College. On the day of their Commencement, 80% of them had secured a job or committed to continuing their education in graduate school.

Along with their younger classmates, faculty, staff, and friends, they experienced all that Sweet Briar has to offer, including attending lectures by speakers such as Melissa Sevigny, author of the College’s Common Read book for 2026, Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon; former CIA officers Sharon Liebetreu and Ann Butler; Dr. Leah Spangler, assistant professor of chemical and life science engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University; Board Chair and Georgia Supreme Court Justice Verda Colvin ’87; former South Carolina Governor and U.N. World Food Programme Director David Beasley, author and former First Lady Chief of Staff Anita McBride.

The entire Sweet Briar community enjoyed a performance by the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, witnessed the implementation of the College’s land acknowledgement and a ceremony to honor the Monacan Indian Nation at Founders’ Day, saw more than 2,000 years of art in the Eras exhibition, explored career paths through the Women’s Leadership Forum in Agriculture, saw the return of Vixen volleyball, celebrated Sweet Briar’s 125th Anniversary on its Charter Day, cheered on their classmates at a national bladesmithing competition (where they earned honorable mention!), hosted and participated in the Virginia Forum, and more.

Sweet Briar’s endeavors in auxiliary enterprises also continued to thrive. The 2026 Virginia Governor’s Cup included medals for five Sweet Briar College Farm wines, and the 2025-2026 fiscal year saw the debut of the College’s “sip and savor” wine events. The College once again welcomed the local community to campus for Amherst County Day, and hosted its Summer Arts & Writing Retreat for the third year.

“I am always amazed at the continued support from all members of the Sweet Briar community through financial contributions, tireless volunteerism, and celebrating our 125th Anniversary,” said President Mary Pope M. Hutson ’83. “Our alumnae network and our friends and supporters demonstrate a treasured commitment to our college, helping us to raise our profile and attract the next generation of women leaders. We are eager to welcome our new and returning students in August and begin another great academic year!”

Every gift to Sweet Briar is an investment in the next generation of bold women leaders. Philanthropic support creates scholarships, expands undergraduate research, strengthens academic programs, enhances experiential learning, and preserves one of the nation's most distinctive campuses. As Sweet Briar enters its next 125 years, prospective students will continue to benefit from an education defined by personal mentorship, hands-on learning, and transformative leadership opportunities. Discover why Sweet Briar is truly a Category of One by visiting sbc.edu/admissions or contacting admissions@sbc.edu to begin your journey.

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