Journalism is a calling.
In the lobby of Pulitzer Hall, the inscription is our mandate: to educate the next generation of journalists.
And we take that mission very seriously. That is why affordability has been my top priority since I became dean of Columbia Journalism School. We must make it possible for the best journalists to get the highest caliber journalism school education, here in Pulitzer Hall, and be able to afford to choose journalism. Our work is a public good—one that is now more vital than ever.
"Gifts from alumni and friends provide Columbia Journalism School with immediate current-use financial resources to execute these initiatives. With your support, we can make the J-School affordable for a more diverse student body. We want an institution that's even more representative of the world that journalism covers. With your help we can give the next generation the opportunity to go into—and stay in—journalism. Your partnership in this effort is crucial—together, we can ensure that our students continue to fulfill our mission to uphold the standards of excellence in journalism.”
— Jelani Cobb, Dean and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism
Where to Give
The Journalism School’s mission to educate the next generation of journalists has never been more important than today. Your gifts make it possible to support our students and faculty and have never been more relevant to our success.
Gifts to the Columbia Journalism School Annual Fund are available for immediate use, giving the Dean the flexibility to meet urgent needs and seize new opportunities as they arise. Your support provides scholarships to talented students, funds internships and fellowships that offer real-world experience, and provides emergency assistance for our student reporters when they are faced with threats to their safety, restricted access, or urgent reporting needs during moments of crisis. It also helps attract and retain outstanding faculty who mentor and inspire the next generation of truth-tellers. Every gift—no matter the size—strengthens our vibrant, welcoming community and helps students pursue their passion for journalism in the public interest.
We are dedicated to strengthening our community and shaping the future of journalism. Gifts to the Annual Fund - Scholarships help us attract the most promising students by meeting their demonstrated financial need. Your support ensures that the next generation of journalists has the opportunity to pursue their passion for reporting and storytelling regardless of their socioeconomic background.
Please email Katja Hafendoerfer or call (212) 854-8634 for information about full or half tuition scholarships, as well as endowing a scholarship.
Major Gifts make a direct and significant impact on the learning, teaching, scholarship, and community engagement available at Columbia Journalism School. Endowed and current use gifts support scholarships, postgraduate fellowships and other student financial aid, professorships and faculty research, centers and programs. Please contact the major gifts team at Columbia Journalism School by emailing Katja Hafendoerfer or by calling (212)-854-8634, and learn more about how you can create a lasting legacy.
Scholarships
It is Dean Jelani Cobb’s top priority that cost doesn’t stand in the way of coming to Columbia. We offer admission to the very best students, regardless of their ability to pay, and we have made a commitment to leveling the playing field of journalism. Scholarship investment allows us to respond to increased needs for scholarship and to ensure that students can have the opportunity to attend, regardless of their financial circumstances.
Postgraduate Fellowships - Research or Investigative
Research fellows devote their time to research and writing in the core mandates of a Centers’ work. Fellows are selected by the Center and are expected to work collaboratively with other Center researchers, as well as on their own projects.
Columbia Journalism Investigations (CJI)’s postgraduate investigative fellows produce deep investigations into urgent matters of public interest in topics ranging from climate change and public health, prosecutorial misconduct, global migration.
Loan Repayment Assistance Program
For decades, law schools have used a program to support their graduates who choose to work in public interest legal settings, such as immigration clinics: a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP). Our pilot program, launched this year, supports journalism graduates who work in nonprofit news and plan to grow to other local outlets. You can find information about our Loan Repayment Assistance Program on our website.
Professorships
Establishing a professorship strengthens our faculty retention and recruitment efforts. The highest mark of distinction a university can bestow on a faculty member, a named professorship can support a current distinguished faculty member or equip the Dean the ability to recruit new faculty.
Center Support
The Journalism School is the home of several centers and institutes as well as the publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review. There are a host of opportunities to support the cutting edge work done by these.
How to Give
Credit Card
Give online securely using your credit card. You may also make a recurring gift online. Email Katja Hafendoerfer for more information.
Check
Make checks payable to Columbia University and, to ensure that they are properly credited, please include a note that your gift is in support of the Columbia Journalism School and send to:
Columbia Journalism School
Attention: Alumni & Development
2950 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
Wire Transfer
Email Katja Hafendoerfer for wire transfer instructions.
Securities
If your bank or broker holds your securities, we recommend an electronic transfer in two steps via the Depository Trust Company (DTC) system.
- Give your bank or broker the following instructions:
Bank of New York Mellon
DTC# 0443
Pershing, LLC
For Credit to Account: N7M100061
Account name: Trustees of Columbia University
- Send an email to transfer details, alerting Columbia to expect your gift. Failure to do so may cause a delay in recognizing you as the donor. Please include the following information in your e-mail:
- Name and address
- Name and ticker symbol of the security
- Number of shares
- School or department gift fund to be credited
Matching Gift
You can increase the impact your gift has at the Journalism School by adding a matching gift through your employer. Many employers offer this benefit You can check if your employer is one of them on our matching gift website.
Planned Giving
Planned gifts, including bequests and life income gifts, are designed to help meet your financial and charitable goals while supporting Columbia Journalism School in the long term.
Email Katja Hafendoerfer for more information.
Recognizing our Supporters
Our most dedicated supporters become members of our leadership societies, the Dean’s Circle and the Pulitzer Circle.
Dean’s Circle
Dean’s Circle members are the most generous donors to the J-School each year. Their support creates meaningful scholarship packages for exceptional students with financial need. In fact, Dean’s Circle members provide 90 percent of the new scholarship dollars contributed each year. Donors qualify for the Dean's Circle with cumulative gifts of $1,000 or more ($500 for graduates from the last 10 years) to the Annual Fund within a given fiscal year (July 1 to June 30).
If you would like to support a student directly and see your impact firsthand, join the Dean’s Circle with a gift of $5,000 or more. We will name a one-year scholarship in your honor or in honor of someone who inspires you. We will connect you with your scholarship recipient so you can hear how meaningful your gift has been.
For more information, email Katja Hafendoerfer or call (212) 854-8634.
The 1754 Society (Planned Giving Society)
Supporters who include the Journalism School in their planned giving - be it through a bequest or a beneficiary designation or by establishing an annuity or trust - become members of the 1754 Society. Your membership allows us to recognize you for your generosity and to give you special access to the unique people and experiences that Columbia offers.
For more information, email Katja Hafendoerfer or call (212) 854-8634.
Team Contacts
Joan Barry McCormick
Associate Dean for Advancement
[email protected]
(212) 854-1148
Katja Hafendoerfer
Director of Development
[email protected]
(212) 854-8634
Mitchell Montgomery
Assistant Director, Annual Giving
[email protected]
(212) 851-7766
Claire Abell
Assistant Director, Donor Relations
[email protected]
(212) 854-1159
Luke Maxwell
Development and Alumni Administrator
[email protected]
(212) 851-9653