Giving to the Batten School & VIMS
Get to Know Us
We invest in the intersections - in the places where rivers meet oceans and shorelines seek the sea. We transform data into policies, students into leaders, and theories into tangible change. We find solutions to global problems, work to restore marine life, and freely share the answers we find. We are people who love the Chesapeake Bay, and the great wide world with which it intersects. Watch our video to learn more.
Meet Our Team
The Advancement Team at the Batten School & the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) is dedicated to growing meaningful connections with members of our community who are passionate about marine science research, education and conservation. From alumni and staff to individual philanthropists and charitable organizations, your generosity makes our critical work possible. We'd love to discuss how you can get engaged with our community and make a difference for our students, scientists and educators.
Giving Priorities
Charitable gifts empower us to continue, and at times expand, our crucial work. Contributions made to our Impact fund allow us to quickly address the most pressing needs at the Batten School & VIMS, while there are several specific areas of important needs to which you may also choose to give. As you consider how you'd like to support our community, we invite you to learn more about where to give.
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Impact Fund
Unrestricted gifts to the VIMS Impact Fund provide the greatest flexibility to support current needs. These funds allow our leadership to address emerging concerns and support innovative science for solutions.
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Visitor Center
Renovation of the visitor center in Watermen's Hall is the first step of our campus revitalization project. Modernizing the visitor center will allow us to dramatically expand our education and outreach efforts.
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Student Support
Graduate student support provides vital assistance for Batten School students, helping ensure tomorrow's leaders have access to the best resources available.
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Outreach
The VIMS Outreach Fund supports meaningful educational opportunities that empower individuals and communities to explore and protect marine and coastal ecosystems in the Chesapeake Bay and beyond.
By the Numbers
Generous supporters played a key role in our success during our most recent fundraising campaign, For the Bold, implemented in coordination with William & Mary.
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$ 26.5 millionRaised for VIMS
Thanks to thousands of generous donors, VIMS had unprecedented success and far surpassed our original goal of $15 million.
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6,107Total Campaign Supporters
We're grateful to have received contributions from friends, alumni, faculty, staff, corporations and foundations.
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22New Endowed Graduate Fellowships
Private support enables the Batten School & VIMS to recruit the highest caliber students. During the campaign, supporters committed to endow 22 new graduate fellowships.
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500,000Ichthyology Specimens
The Nunnally Ichthyology Collection's endowment reached $1 million during the campaign.
Ways to Give
Contributing to the Batten School & VIMS is easy, with multiple ways to donate. However you choose to give, and in whatever amount, you'll make an essential difference in helping us better understand and protect our beloved waterways and train the next generation of scientists, educators and conservationists.
Giving Societies
Supporters who make significant gifts of $1,000 or more in a fiscal year are honored with induction into select Batten School & VIMS giving societies. Our most prestigious giving society is the Pathfinders, with members whose lifetime giving reaches or exceeds $100,000.
Recent Giving News
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New endowment serves students, honors a brother’s love for the outdoors
Stephen Peters left behind a legacy of love for fishing and the natural world. To memorialize that passion, his brother, Danny Peters, established the Stephen Peters Fellowship Endowment (1863) to support graduate student research at the Batten School & VIMS. -
Bridge funding helps sustain marine research during uncertain times
As economic uncertainty and shifting federal budget priorities put pressure on research entities across the country by delaying, reducing and canceling funding streams, W&M’s Batten School & VIMS are taking proactive steps to safeguard our mission via the unrestricted VIMS Impact Fund. -
45 years of consecutive giving, now anchored by IRA contributions
Distinguished emeritus professor, Captain Maurice “Mo” Lynch (U.S. Navy, Ret.), and Virginia “Gin” Lynch have faithfully supported the Batten School & VIMS for more than four decades, most recently via qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from Mo's individual retirement account (IRA). -
Activating entrepreneurial energy to pursue coastal & marine solutions
Recent recipients of the Dean & Director’s Innovation Fund, which invests in early-stage research with high potential for commercial outcomes, are revolutionizing environmental DNA sampling, developing "forever chemical” detection tools and pioneering sustainable aquaculture systems.
VIMS Foundation Board
The VIMS Foundation provides expert advice and assistance, promotes philanthropy and stewards philanthropic resources. Members of the Board act as allies and ambassadors to position VIMS as the preeminent leader in coastal and estuarine science and education for Virginia and the world.
Frequently Asked Questions
With so many methods of giving, and so many important areas within the Batten School & VIMS worthy of funding, we understand if you have some questions. Explore our FAQ page to better understand how you can make a difference for the causes you care about most.
Contact Us
Office of Advancement
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 1346 Gloucester Point, VA 23062
Contact Us
- Email: emleverich@vims.edu
- Phone: 804-684-7846