The Rice Fund, formerly known as the Rice Annual Fund, is one of the university’s most important resources for amplifying the student experience. Your gifts support Owls at every step of their educational journey, from O-Week to graduation. Each gift is put to use immediately to enhance scholarships, residential college life, student clubs and activities, graduate research stipends, wellness activities and so much more. With your support, students from all backgrounds and means can carve their own unique path marked by rigorous academics, outstanding faculty and opportunities to maximize their talents.
The Rice Investment | Leadership Giving | Recent Alumni Recognition Societies | Impact Stories
Your gift to The Rice Fund provides immediate and direct support for the following priorities:
-
Meet 100% of students’ demonstrated financial need through The Rice Investment.
-
Create a transformative “Rice experience” for every student, from matriculation through graduation.
-
Ensure our students and faculty have every opportunity to make an impact on the world by offering the best in education, research and service.
The Rice Investment
To ensure that the most deserving students have the opportunity to realize their full potential, the university announced The Rice Investment, a bold financial aid initiative that will reduce barriers for low- and middle-income families.
While the university will rely on financial aid endowments to continually support The Rice Investment, current-use scholarships from The Rice Fund play a vital role in ensuring that this important commitment to access and affordability can take effect immediately.
Note: If you would like to designate your gift toward The Rice Investment, be sure to choose “Rice Fund-The Rice Investment/Undergraduate Scholarships” in the designation dropdown menu on the online giving form.
Leadership Giving
Rice University relies on a strong tradition of leadership giving to sustain the scholarships, academic resources and campus life initiatives that keep the Rice experience distinctive and vibrant. In fiscal year 2026, supporters contributed $6.6 million to The Rice Fund, with leadership donors providing 68% of that total.
Annual leadership-level gifts provide Rice with the stability to strengthen excellence in the classroom, lab, studio and beyond. While major endowment gifts are often designated for specific initiatives, these flexible, immediately deployable funds empower the university to seize emerging opportunities while advancing long‑term priorities like affordability, access and a transformative student experience.
Leadership donors also receive special university communications throughout the year, along with opportunities to attend signature recognition events.
Recognition at one of these levels is based on unrestricted gifts to the The Rice Fund, including corporate matching gifts, during one fiscal year (July 1–June 30).
To learn more about giving at the leadership level, please contact giving@rice.edu
| Recognition Societies | |
|---|---|
| Campanile Society | $50,000 or more |
| Sallyport Society | $25,000–$49,999 |
| Lovett Society | $10,000–$24,999 |
| Brown Society | $5,000–$9,999 |
| Charter Society | $2,500–$4,999 |
Recent Alumni Leadership Recognition Societies
Recent alumni from the past decade enjoy special leadership-level pricing as they launch their careers.
| Lovett Society | |
|---|---|
| Class of 2016-2019 | $7,000 |
| Classes of 2020-2023 | $3,500 |
| Classes of 2024-2026 | $1,000 |
| Charter Society | |
|---|---|
| Classes of 2016–2019 | $1,500 |
| Classes of 2020–2023 | $750 |
| Classes of 2024–2026 | $365 |
Giving to Rice
Development & Alumni Relations
P.O. BOX 1892
Houston, Texas 77251-1892
Phone: 713-348-4991
Email: giving@rice.edu
