Your Impact

See how your generosity benefits our school and our planet

We are grateful and humbled every day by the members of the Nicholas School community who give back to support our mission. Without you, we wouldn’t have laboratory space where researchers can make critical discoveries. We wouldn’t have incredible resources like the Duke Forest and Marine Laboratory, where students can get hands-on experience protecting our trees and oceans. And we wouldn’t have thousands of alumni who are working today (this minute!) to move the needle on issues like climate change, conservation, and environmental health.

See below for a breakdown of gifts and pledges over the past fiscal year:

Gifts and Pledges Fiscal Year 2023-24

Gifts vs. Pledges

Gifts & Pledges by Source

Gifts & Pledges by Purpose

Please review our FY24 Impact Report, “Our Commitment to a Sustainable Future,” to see what your support has achieved in the past year alone. We hope this conveys the importance of your support in keeping us moving forward, and helps express our immense gratitude for all you do for our school and our environment.

We are delighted to share our 2023-2024 impact report, “Our Commitment to a Sustainable Future.” We hope it conveys the tremendous impact that donor support has had on the Nicholas School over the past year.

With funding from five endowments and the Annual Fund, the Nicholas Scholars Program provides generous scholarships each year to incoming students who demonstrate exceptional leadership potential and academic excellence.

Now in its fifth year, the Shearwater research vessel has served as Duke’s invaluable classroom at sea, advancing ocean research and providing exceptional opportunities for students and faculty.

The Dean’s Research Venture Initiative has had a significant impact within the school, allowing our faculty to launch innovative and novel research ideas. with the potential to improve the natural world and protect human health.

Eight new faculty members joined the Nicholas School over the past academic year, bringing extensive expertise and fresh perspectives in areas such as water and coastal change, geochemistry, natural resources finance, and environmental justice.

There are only so many things you can learn about aquaculture in a classroom. At the Duke Aquafarm in Atlantic Beach, N.C., students are wading into the water to conduct hands-on research to determine the best conditions for oyster farming.