Believe passes key milestone

More than $300 million has now been raised by Believe – the Campaign for the University of Melbourne.

Thanks to the generosity of more than 16,000 donors across six continents, the Campaign total passed the $300 million mark in June. The aim is to raise $500 million by 2017.

“Support for the Campaign has been tremendous,” says Vice-Principal (Advancement) Sue Cunningham. “Reaching this important milestone is yet another opportunity to thank our donors for their generosity, and emphasise the transformative impact their gifts have had on the lives of others.”

The Campaign has three major priorities: educating tomorrow’s leaders, finding answers to the world’s grand challenges through research and enriching communities, in Australia and beyond.

Recent gifts include $10 million from leading philanthropist Greg Poche AO to create the University of Melbourne Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, and $250,000 from Campaign Board Member Jason Yeap OAM to the Asia Institute, supporting research into the role of Asian-Australians in the Asian Century.

The Campaign figure also includes donations generated through the University’s Annual Appeal, which broke its record this year, passing the $1 million mark in only five months.

The $300 million milestone was celebrated with the production of a video featuring just some of the students, researchers and projects that are benefiting from the funds raised.

To view the video and learn more about the Campaign visit campaign.unimelb.edu.au