Matching Funds Boost Harvard, Radcliffe Drives

On a Friday filled with philanthropy, Harvard University and Radcliffe College announced boosts to their separate capital campaigns, boasting new gifts to support "challenge funds" of $15 million and $3 million respectively.

Rita E. Hauser, one of Harvard's national campaign chairs, gave $5 million to begin the University Women's Matching Fund, aiming to elicit significant gifts from women donors by doubling their donations (See story below.)

An anonymous benefactor provided Radcliffe with the means to offer the Radcliffe 21st Century Challenge Fund, which matches "general purpose" donations above $25,000 from both men and women.

On first glance, the campaigns' latest fundraising tactic seems to be just another round in the partner institutions' battle over millions of donor dollars. Radcliffe's donor base is traditionally female, and Harvard's new fund targets this constituency.

Yet, in light of current talks between leaders of both institutions, the coordinated announcements were designed to allow Harvard and Radcliffe to present a united front. The simultaneous gifts indicates a new direction for Radcliffe as it extricates itself from the confusion of the 1977 "merger-non-merger."

Matchmaker, Make Me a Match

The funds--both of which "match" large gifts dollar-for-dollar--seem similar, but campaign organizers emphasize that donations will support different purposes, and are therefore not competing against one another.

Harvard's Women's Matching Fund exists to encourage women donors--often not inclined to make large donations, studies show--to give the University money for "anything whatsoever," Hauser said. The matching fund "is not a fund for women, it's a fund by women."

The Radcliffe 21st Century Challenge Fund, on the other hand, will match gifts from any donor, and the funds will support only Radcliffe initiatives.

Although Harvard's new fund is designed to prompt donations from women--the traditional constituency of Radcliffe's donor base--Harvard officials said the two new fundraising initiatives are not rivals for the same donor pool.

"We don't think that the world of potentialdonors is limited--that if Harvard reaches out towomen, then Radcliffe will lose out," said LauraW. Smith, assistant director of communications atthe University development office.

But even if the pool of prospective donorsisn't bottomless, officials say the funds havedifferentiated destinations--programmatically aswell as geographically.

"The campaigns are for largely nonoverlappingpurposes," said Nancy-Beth G. Sheerr '71, chair ofthe Radcliffe Board of Trustees. The funds allowsdonors to double their impact on "the mission thatis extremely important to them," Sheerr said.

Radcliffe officials said donations willstrengthen its campaign--and indicate support forthe college's distinctive mission to "advancesociety by advancing women."

The press release announcing the Radcliffe 21stCentury Challenge Fund emphasized the college'sevolutionary nature, with a next step that will"extend its scholarship, explore new models forlearning and broaden its reach to a national andan international audience."

Sources close to the top-level discussionsbetween Harvard and Radcliffe officials saidundergraduates, the 119-year-old institution'straditional responsibility, will not be the focusof the emerging Radcliffe. Friday's press releaseomitted mention of Radcliffe's claim to be anundergraduate college.

Hauser said in an interview Friday that much ofthe confusion related to simultaneous capitalcampaigns will be alleviated when Harvard andRadcliffe decide on the next phase of theirrelationship.

Some alumnae said yesterday they accept thatthe changing face of Radcliffe may not, in fact,include official ties to undergraduates.

"Most of us have known that, eventually,Harvard and Radcliffe will merge," said concernedalumna Joan H. Burns '56. "I just want Radcliffeto be the bride with the largest dowry so she willbring some clout to the marriage."

Others, including former second vice presidentof the Radcliffe College Alumnae Association PeggyM. McIntosh '56, said they are troubled by whatthey see as a shirking of the college'straditional responsibility to provide a supportivecommunity for undergraduate women.

McIntosh resigned last month in protest of thesecrecy surrounding top-level talks betweenHarvard and Radcliffe officials, and saidyesterday that she hopes Radcliffe willstrengthen--not sever--its ties to femaleundergraduates.

Radcliffe officials are still determining thefuture of the institution, and said they cannotspecify the details of the new Radcliffe.

"The Radcliffe 21st Century Challenge Fund willprovide necessary and valuable flexibility inaddressing emerging issues related to ourmission," said Linda S. Wilson, president ofRadcliffe, in a prepared statement. "This is asignificant period in Radcliffe's history.

"We don't think that the world of potentialdonors is limited--that if Harvard reaches out towomen, then Radcliffe will lose out," said LauraW. Smith, assistant director of communications atthe University development office.

But even if the pool of prospective donorsisn't bottomless, officials say the funds havedifferentiated destinations--programmatically aswell as geographically.

"The campaigns are for largely nonoverlappingpurposes," said Nancy-Beth G. Sheerr '71, chair ofthe Radcliffe Board of Trustees. The funds allowsdonors to double their impact on "the mission thatis extremely important to them," Sheerr said.

Radcliffe officials said donations willstrengthen its campaign--and indicate support forthe college's distinctive mission to "advancesociety by advancing women."

The press release announcing the Radcliffe 21stCentury Challenge Fund emphasized the college'sevolutionary nature, with a next step that will"extend its scholarship, explore new models forlearning and broaden its reach to a national andan international audience."

Sources close to the top-level discussionsbetween Harvard and Radcliffe officials saidundergraduates, the 119-year-old institution'straditional responsibility, will not be the focusof the emerging Radcliffe. Friday's press releaseomitted mention of Radcliffe's claim to be anundergraduate college.

Hauser said in an interview Friday that much ofthe confusion related to simultaneous capitalcampaigns will be alleviated when Harvard andRadcliffe decide on the next phase of theirrelationship.

Some alumnae said yesterday they accept thatthe changing face of Radcliffe may not, in fact,include official ties to undergraduates.

"Most of us have known that, eventually,Harvard and Radcliffe will merge," said concernedalumna Joan H. Burns '56. "I just want Radcliffeto be the bride with the largest dowry so she willbring some clout to the marriage."

Others, including former second vice presidentof the Radcliffe College Alumnae Association PeggyM. McIntosh '56, said they are troubled by whatthey see as a shirking of the college'straditional responsibility to provide a supportivecommunity for undergraduate women.

McIntosh resigned last month in protest of thesecrecy surrounding top-level talks betweenHarvard and Radcliffe officials, and saidyesterday that she hopes Radcliffe willstrengthen--not sever--its ties to femaleundergraduates.

Radcliffe officials are still determining thefuture of the institution, and said they cannotspecify the details of the new Radcliffe.

"The Radcliffe 21st Century Challenge Fund willprovide necessary and valuable flexibility inaddressing emerging issues related to ourmission," said Linda S. Wilson, president ofRadcliffe, in a prepared statement. "This is asignificant period in Radcliffe's history.