At UNC, the private donations are rolling in

UNC-Chapel Hill had its best fundraising year on record, reeling in $495 million in pledges and gifts in the 2016 fiscal year.

The university announced the results Monday, saying it had surpassed 2015’s $447 million total by almost $50 million. UNC Chancellor Carol Folt called it “a proud moment for Carolina.”

The university has ramped up its fundraising apparatus as it moves into a multi-year capital campaign. The drive is in the silent phase now, but an official launch of the campaign is expected in the coming months.

In 2016, UNC reported that a dozen donors gave $5 million or more. Among them were Ken and Cheryl Williams, who donated $10 million to support cancer research at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and an anonymous donor who gave $7.5 million bequest to create professorships in the communication and history departments in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Overall, UNC received contributions from 68,000 donors in the fiscal year that ended June 30.

This story was originally published August 22, 2016 at 9:10 AM with the headline "At UNC, the private donations are rolling in."