Every gift opens a door on Harden Street.
Allen was founded in 1870 to educate the children of the formerly enslaved. More than 150 years later, alumni and friends like you keep that promise alive for every student who walks through our doors.
You’re not just giving to a university. You’re carrying a legacy forward.
Generations of Yellow Jackets became ministers, teachers, lawyers, and leaders because someone believed in them first. Your gift lets you be that someone.
We teach the mind to think, the hands to work, and the heart to love.
- 1870
Founded by the AME Church as Payne Institute to educate freedmen and their children.
- 1880
Moved to Columbia and renamed for Bishop Richard Allen, becoming South Carolina’s first university founded by African Americans for African Americans.
- Today
A National Historic Landmark campus, ATS-accredited seminary, graduate programs, and NCAA Division II athletics, all powered by people who give.
Put your gift where your heart is.
Choose an area that speaks to you, or give to the Annual Fund to meet Allen’s greatest need. You can also direct your gift to other academically centered areas.
- Greatest need
Annual Fund
Our greatest need. Your gift goes to work right away, wherever students need it most.
- Access
General Scholarship Fund
Open the door for a student who has the drive but needs help with the cost.
- Forever
Endowed Scholarships
Create a lasting fund in your name or to honor someone you love, supporting students for generations.
- Legacy
Naming Opportunities
Leave your mark on Allen and share in its future.
Give $18.70 a month. In less than nine years, you’ll have given $1,870, one dollar for every year since our founding.
Monthly giving is the easiest way to make a lasting difference. Small, steady gifts give Allen support it can count on all year long.
Give in the way that works best for you.
Allen welcomes gifts of all types and will work with you and your financial advisor to maximize your tax benefit and the value of your gift.
Give today
Simple ways to make a difference right now.
- CashYour personal cash gift is deductible from your adjusted gross income.
- Matching giftsMany employers match employee giving. Ask your HR office and double your impact.
- Stocks & bondsHave your broker transfer securities electronically, or mail unsigned certificates by certified mail, for full tax benefit.
Give from your assets
Turn property and plans into lasting support.
- Real or personal propertyDeduct the full fair-market value of real estate, art, antiques, automobiles, and more.
- Retirement plan giftsDesignate remainder interest in an IRA, 401(k), or 403(b) to provide for loved ones and ultimately Allen, at substantial tax savings.
- Life insuranceName Allen as beneficiary of a paid-up or new policy to grow our future endowment and earn a tax deduction.
Leave a legacy
Plan a gift that shapes Allen for generations to come.
- BequestsName Allen in your will with a gift of cash, property, or a percentage of your estate, and reduce inheritance taxes.
- Life income giftsGift annuities and charitable remainder trusts can provide income to you with positive tax benefits.
- Lead trustsKeep property or assets in the family while reducing estate taxes and supporting Allen.
- Retained life estateGive your home, vacation home, or farm to Allen and continue living there for life.
Sponsor the gala. Fund a scholarship.
Our signature evening brings alumni, partners, and friends together to honor excellence and raise scholarship support for Allen students. Individual and corporate sponsors are recognized throughout the event and beyond.
- Platinum$30,000
- Three tables of 8
- Full-page journal ad
- Live remarks as top sponsor
- Featured on social media, website, and event memento
- Gold$15,000
- Two tables of 8
- Full-page journal ad
- Recorded greeting during event
- Name or logo highlighted
- Silver$7,500
- Two tables of 8
- Full-page journal ad
- Name or logo highlighted
- Bronze$5,000
- One table of 8
- Half-page journal ad
- Name or logo highlighted
- Table$2,000
- One table of 8
- Quarter-page journal ad
- Listing on event materials
Thank you for believing in Allen.
To the alumni and friends who give: you are the reason Allen’s doors are still open. Questions about a gift, endowment, or estate plan? We would be honored to talk with you.