The Schwarzman Scholars

Key Elements

$525 million raised from more than 90 donors across the globe.
This initiative was the largest charitable effort in China’s history.

Services Rendered

Funding the Next Generation of Scholars

The Schwarzman Scholars program was created to establish an endowment for a master’s program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. CCS was brought on to design and manage a $450 million campaign, the largest charitable effort in China’s history at the time.

The Challenge

Created as a brand new concept, the Schwarzman Scholars program aimed to establish an endowment to fully fund this master’s program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. As a new initiative, the program did not have a history of fundraising nor an existing development department.

The Solution

CCS designed and managed a $450 million campaign by building prospect pipelines, implementing lead and major gift strategies, and managing all aspects of fundraising activities for Schwarzman Scholars’ fundraising offices in both New York City and Beijing. CCS also acted as the interim development team and assisted in building and training a permanent development team to support continued fundraising efforts for the program.

The Impact

CCS helped secure over $525 million in donations from more than 90 donors across the globe, making the endeavor the largest charitable effort in China’s history, including a $100 million gift from Stephen A. Schwarzman.