Columbia University in the City of New York

Giving to the Harriman Institute

We have been training leaders in the field of Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies since 1946. As we celebrate our 75th anniversary, we ask you to help us train the next generation of regional specialists by donating to the Institute. Let’s make an impact together.

Harriman’s 75th Anniversary Fund

At a time when governmental and institutional funding has been in decline, the Harriman Institute’s 75th Anniversary Fund has been established to create a sustainable fellowship program that ensures full tuition funding for our growing BA/MA program in regional studies (Russia, Eurasia, and Eastern Europe – MARS-REERS). The BA/MA fellowship is designed to encourage the most exceptional undergraduate students who have a demonstrated interest in Russia and Eurasia to complete a master’s degree in their fifth year without incurring the additional tuition debt or significant financial burdens typically associated with MA education. Fellowship funding is designed to cover full tuition for a fellow’s additional year of graduate study at Harriman necessary to complete the BA/MA degree. At the same time, the fellowships will help make an important early intervention in students’ careers that will yield important downstream effects, including fostering an enduring commitment to the region, developing an awareness of the region’s complexities, and selecting career paths where interdisciplinary and regional knowledge are valued.

Harriman’s growing BA/MA program compliments the Institute’s interdisciplinary MA program in regional studies, which remains at the core of Harriman’s educational mission. The BA/MA track of study provides students with the tools and experience to utilize their regional specializations when they enter the work force whether pursuing careers in diplomacy and international affairs, business and the law, education, journalism, the arts, or opportunities in the nonprofit sector.

A reason to give

Harriman Students

“In light of the political, economic, and cultural issues between the former Soviet States and Russia, I wish to become an active participant in seeking solutions for peace and economic stability in these countries.”

– Mariya Chukhnova, BA/MA, Class of 2020 (Harriman Spotlight, March 10, 2020)

“For me the turning point [between Psychology and Harriman] was Kimberly Marten’s course ‘Russia and the West’—it fit like a glove.”

– Tinatin Japaridze, BA/MA Class of 2019 

“I miss the intellectual, friendly, open-door culture of the Harriman Atrium and 1219. It was always a special treat to have an excuse to go up to the 12th floor in IAB, and I hope to have more excuses soon and often!”

– Bradley Gorski, Slavic Department PhD, Class of 2018 (Harriman 3Qs, August 9, 2021)

Online Giving

Your support helps advance the Harriman Institute’s mission and our students. Your contributions enable the Harriman Institute to produce and share new knowledge about our region, and to educate our students to serve and to lead with their expertise about Russia, Eurasia, and Eastern Europe.

There are many ways that you can make a gift to the Harriman Institute. The easiest and most convenient way is to make a gift online using a credit card. 

Other Ways to Give

Gifts by Check

Your check should be made payable to Columbia University and, to ensure that it is properly credited, must be accompanied by a letter or note outlining the purpose of the gift. Please mail check(s) to:

The Harriman Institute
Columbia University
International Affairs Building, 12th Floor
420 West 118th Street
MC 3345
New York, NY 10027

Matching Gifts

Many companies will make a matching gift to the Harriman Institute at Columbia University when one of their employees makes a donation. To find out if your company has such a program, use our convenient search engine.

For more information, please contact Ryan Kreider at the Harriman Institute.

Gifts of Securities

Many donors prefer gifts of appreciated stocks, bonds, and mutual funds when considering a donation to Columbia as an impactful way to support the University while offsetting their personal tax liability. In gifting stocks, bonds, or mutual fund shares that you have owned for longer than one year, you receive the same income tax savings associated with a cash gift and avoid tax on the capital gains built up in donated securities.

If you are interested in making a gift of appreciated securities, please contact Ryan Kreider at the Harriman Institute.

Planned Gifts and Estate Planning

Planned giving allows you to meet your financial and charitable goals while providing long-term support for the Harriman Institute and future generations of regional experts and leaders. Planned gifts allow donors to take sizeable income, capital gains, and estate deductions on their taxes. They can provide income for you and your family for life, and leaves a legacy that fits your philanthropic goals. Planned giving donors are also invited to join the 1754 Society, a University-wide honorary society for alumni and friends who have included the University in their inheritance plans.

To learn more about planned giving and estate planning options, or if you choose to include the Harriman Institute in your estate plan, please contact Ryan Kreider.

More information about planned giving is also available on the University’s Planned Giving website.

International Giving

Alumni and friends in the UK, Hong Kong, and certain European countries can make tax-effective contributions to support the Harriman Institute.

Columbia University UK Fund
Residents of the UK can donate to any Columbia school or program through the Columbia UK Fund, a UK charity, to gain a tax benefit. Those who pay both UK and US income taxes benefit as well: the same gift is treated as a charitable donation for US tax purposes and can be claimed as a deduction against US income.

Applying for Gift Aid relief is easy. Simply fill out a Gift Aid Declaration Form once you make your gift to the Columbia UK Fund.

Transnational Giving Europe
Columbia University has partnered with Transnational Giving Europe (TGE) to allow residents of several European countries to make tax-effective contributions to any part of the University. The process is very simple: you make your gift to the TGE foundation partner in your country of residence. The foundation provides you with all the fiscal advantages, including a tax receipt. Your gift is then transferred to the Columbia UK Fund. See if your country is a TGE partner.

Columbia University Hong Kong Fund
The Columbia Hong Kong Fund is registered under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. Hong Kong residents who make their gifts to this fund can deduct the donated amount from their total income. Please consult the Inland Revenue Department website for more information about the tax benefits.

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