The Class of 2020 Gift Campaign is a student-led initiative supporting the Law School Annual Fund. Members of the Class of 2020 join together to make a Class Gift, a collective class contribution to the Law School. The Class Gift focuses on participation, not dollars raised. It is the act of giving that is important – gifts of any size make a big difference.

The Class Gift provides general support, scholarship support, and clinical support to the Law School.

General Support

The Law School Annual Fund supports every aspect of life at the Law School, from classroom instruction and research to moot court competition and mentoring programs. Your gift to the Annual Fund will: support the daily operations of the Law School; provide scholarship assistance to students; support student services, activities, and publications; help us attract and retain outstanding faculty; allow for timely attention to high priority needs; provide for the maintenance of our building facilities; and supply computing and library resources for faculty and students.

The George E. Fee, Jr. Memorial Fund was established in 1976 in memory of George E. Fee, Jr. (J.D. 1963), who served as director of placement and later dean of students in the Law School from 1965 to 1969. It is used to support activities or grants that will aid students or the quality of student life.

Student Emergency Support. The Class Gift Campaign can accept gifts from students looking to contribute to student emergency support funds. The Law School will use this discretionary funding to support students with urgent financial needs. This funding is awarded at the discretion of student affairs administrators.

Scholarship Support

The Alumni Scholarship Fund provides broad scholarship support to students of all class years. This fund allows the Law School to attract students who might not otherwise be able to attend UChicago, and allows them greater freedom to choose their preferred career path.

The Jennifer Ann Coyne Scholarship Fund was established in 2017 in honor of Jennifer Ann Coyne (J.D. 1990). This Scholarship is awarded each year by the Faculty in conjunction with the Dean of Students to support a member of the third-year class who has demonstrated exceptional integrity and high principle in the study of law with strong preference given to individuals who have demonstrated dedication to the advancement of women in the profession.

The Earl B. Dickerson Scholarship Fund was established in 1984 by Mr. Dickerson, a member of the Class of 1920 and one of America's early pioneers in the civil rights movement, in memory of his wife Kathryn Kennedy Dickerson. The fund benefits a student who exemplifies strong moral character and who is committed to projects in the law that seek to correct social injustices.

The Grant R. Folland Memorial Scholarship was created in memory of Grant R. Folland (J.D. 2008) by his family, colleagues, and friends, as well as the law firm Jenner & Block, where he practiced. The fund provides scholarship support to a student who has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to lesbian and gay rights, a record of participation in political, educational, and charitable lesbian and gay causes, and who will most likely use his/her legal education to further lesbian and gay rights.

The Stonewall Scholarship Fund was created in 1989 and is awarded to a Law School student who is likely to use his or her legal education to further gay and lesbian rights.

Clinical Support

The Mandel Legal Aid Clinic Fund provides resources and clinical staff to support the more than 130 students enrolled in our clinics, who deliver more than 16,300 hours of free services to low-income Chicago residents.  By making a gift to the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic, you are providing both direct and indirect operational support to all of the clinics at the Law School.

Gifts can also be made directly to the:

• Innovation Clinic
• Kirkland & Ellis Corporate Lab Clinic
• Jenner & Block Supreme Court & Appellate Advocacy Clinic

Please note that the IJ Clinic, Exoneration Project Clinic, and Young Center are registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, and a gift to these clinics is not a legal donation to the Law School. To donate to one of these clinics as a part of the Class Gift Campaign, please let a class gift committee member know that this is your intention.

Student Organization Support

The Law School is home to more than 60 student organizations with a wide variety of purposes. A gift to a student organization will be allocated to the organization's budget for the following school year to support funding programs, panel discussions and events. 

This year, the Class Gift Committee has challenged this year's class to reach 70% participation in the class gift campaign. If the class reaches 70% participation, the Wolf Family will donate an additional $30,000 to the Law School Annual Fund.

Because we focus on participation, the act of giving is what's important. In honor of our class, we suggest of gift of $20.20, but a donation of any size will make a big impact by helping our class to reach its participation goal.

Tuition covers the day-to-day expenses for only half a school year. When tuition runs out, that's when philanthropic support kicks in. Tuition also doesn't allow for any growth.

Come to the Class of 2020 events! The initial information session for the Committee will be November 7 at 12:15 pm in Room A. And most importantly, make your gift! You can give online right now at: https://www.law.uchicago.edu/classgift

Please contact Hannah Fine, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, at hfine@uchicago.edu with any questions.