Maintaining the quality of our program requires support from our alumni and friends. We are extremely grateful for any support you can provide and view it as an endorsement of our program, students and faculty.
Giving to SMAD is easy and your financial gift helps students and faculty in a variety of ways. Your gift may go to scholarships, research, new equipment, field trips, student clubs or support travel. We realize not everyone has the same capacity to give, but every gift is valuable. If possible, we encourage you to consider making a gift on an annual basis. Every gift is acknowledged by SMAD with grateful appreciation.
How Your Money Helps
You can designate your gift to one of the following funds.
14322 SMAD General
A general expendable account to support operating expenditures of the School of Media Arts & Design. This fund provides the school with unrestricted money to be used on behalf of students and faculty. It offers the School the greatest flexibility in designating funds to where there is greatest need.
15742 SMAD General Scholarships
Established to receive charitable contributions and designated to provide scholarships to SMAD students without specific criteria. At a future date, the Director of SMAD and the Dean may choose to permanently endow all or a portion of available contributions to fund a permanently restricted endowment for a SMAD General Scholarship account.
14500 Journalism General
Funds restricted specifically for the support of the journalism program. The fund has provided hardware and software for newspaper and magazine production classes.
15609 Neckowitz/Turner Study Abroad Scholarship
Established to honor Alan Neckowitz and Charles Turner, who were instrumental in founding the Summer in Ireland Study Abroad Program. This scholarship assists with the expenses of at least one School of Media Arts & Design (SMAD) major studying abroad each year.
25663 One Day/One University Scholarship
This scholarship is intended to benefit students in the School of Media Arts and Design with a minimum 2.75 GPA who have shown a commitment to media production through multimedia classes, internships, practica and other media-related work, and who have financial need.
How to Give
Donors can give to SMAD via check, credit card or bank transfer. Donations can be accepted either online or by filling out a donor card and sending it to the JMU "Advanced Gifts & Records" office.
Online Giving
Donors can simply fill out the online form found here. When making the donation, indicate your desired designation in the "Gift Designation" box in the "Donor Information" section. (See example below). Gifts can be made via credit card or check. All checks should be made out to: JMU Foundation.
Sending In Your Donation
Donations can be accepted by filling out this document and sending it to the address on the form.
Endowed Gifts
An endowment is a fund of money in which the principle is held in perpetuity and invested, and from which an organization may use only the interest gained each year form the investment. The James Madison University Foundation manages SMAD's endowment funds. Most of our scholarships are endowed and will benefit students now and well into the future.
At this level of giving, the donor is able to both name the gift (usually for a family member, professor or other important indvidual) and direct its use for a specific purpose (such as a scholarship wih criteria established by the donor) or perhaps a named professorship. One could create an endowment with a gift of $5,000 for 5 years. Such a gift would make a major impact on our program and might begin with a discussion with David Grimm in the JMU Office of Development at (540) 568-3196.
The donor may continue to add to the endowment as funds allow and once it's established can become available for others to contribute to as well. Making an endowed gift is the most lasting way to make an impact on your alma mater and SMAD.
