American University’s (AU) School of International Service (SIS) in Washington, DC, raised more than $5 million in philanthropic support during fiscal year 2026 (FY26), with two priorities leading the way: experiential learning opportunities putting students in the field and a fast-growing portfolio of faculty research grants. Donors also turned out in record numbers on AU Giving Day to continue supporting sending students around the world, funding internships and research, and establishing new funds that will support SIS students for years to come.

The Year in Three Numbers

• $5,179,611 raised in philanthropic support
• 54 percent more donors during Giving Day compared to the previous year
• 183 percent increase in Giving Day dollars for the SIS Dean's Fund, with flexible support for SIS students’ greatest needs

From the Classroom to the Field

Ask an SIS student what changed them, and they will often point to a moment outside the classroom: a desk at an embassy, a health clinic in a district few outsiders visit, a seat at the table at the United Nations. This year, donors made more of these moments possible for students across the school. Powered by a combination of pooled, current-use funds and named endowed funds, SIS enables students to take on meaningful internships that may be underpaid or unpaid and pursue study abroad opportunities previously out of reach.  

This year, SIS internship funding sent graduate students around the world with postings in the United Nations and public health clinics in Bangladesh. “I was really grateful and really happy that we have such funding that supports early practitioners during the internship,” recalls Ismigul Khamidova, SIS/MA ’26. “I’m sure that as an alumna, I will also be supporting the people who will be early career and applying to internships.”

SIS undergraduates in the Philanthropy Lab capstone spent a semester as grantmakers themselves by giving away $46,000 to nonprofits. And this support has followed students beyond  Washington, DC. SIS professor Derrick Cogburn and his graduate students brought their Disability Dashboard project to the UN in New York, while SIS students sat among global leaders at the NXT Conclave in New Delhi. Six SIS undergraduate researchers represented AU at the 2026 National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Richmond, Virginia.

Behind each of those moments is a growing conviction within the SIS community that these experiences outside of the classroom are essential and worth investing in. This year, Sarah-Ann Smith, SIS/PhD ’80 and one of the first women to have ever been stationed in China as a foreign service officer, made a landmark $500,000 gift to open more of those doors across study abroad, research, and internships alike. Meanwhile, long-time donor Charlotte Jones-Carrol, SIS/BA ’67, who provided this year’s record Giving Day match challenge believes “it isn’t necessary to be super affluent to become a philanthropist.”

Faculty Research on the Rise

As federal research dollars become harder to secure, it creates stiffer competition for major foundation funding. SIS faculty rose to the challenge. The Margaret A. Cargill Foundation renewed its partnership with a $2.3 million grant to support SIS professor Jonathan Fox’s Indigenous Community Health Rights Defenders and Respectful Care project in Mesoamerica through the Accountability Research Center. The Raymond Frankel Foundation renewed its support with a more than $1 million grant, the sixth-largest at AU this year, backing Professor Jordan Tama’s work to bring new voices into national security through the Bridging the Gap initiative.

New Funds Built to Last

Some of this year’s gifts were made to last. With the blessing of her family and an influx of generous donations from the community, SIS established the Sarah Milgrim Memorial Fund to honor the memory of our SIS/MA ’23 alumna who was tragically killed in 2025. The endowment will support graduate students who share her commitment to peacebuilding and environmental justice. A wave of AU Giving Day gifts also strengthened the SIS Dean’s Fund, which directs  funds where they are needed most, and contributed to the SIS Student Emergency Fund, the pool the school reaches for when a student hits an unexpected hardship or crisis. Gifts like these turn one year of giving into opportunities that will reach students and the SIS community as a whole, long after the fiscal year books close.

For SIS interim dean Rachel Robinson, the year points in a clear and positive direction. “The magnitude of this past year's philanthropic giving is incredibly inspiring—it signals the commitment of our community writ large (alumni, faculty, and staff) to SIS's core values. I look forward to what we can accomplish in the coming year, building from this strong foundation to ensure both student and faculty success.”

Each and every gift this year opened a new door for someone in the SIS community. To continue to help us write these stories of success, consider making a gift to SIS today.