Institute for the Environment receives record number of gifts, lands on leaderboard for GiveUNC 

April 3, 2024

The UNC Institute for the Environment (IE) had the “best day ever” Mar. 26 for GiveUNC—Carolina’s 24-hour giving challenge. The Institute recorded the highest number of gifts on GiveUNC to date, raising more than $207,000 from 115 donors in 24 hours. GiveUNC, Carolina’s university-wide day of giving, engages alumni, friends, faculty, staff and other Carolina supporters to invest in the causes they care about most. 

Although the official totals have not yet been released, the Institute placed fourth on the Unit Leaderboard behind Scholarships and Student Aid, Carolina Athletics and the Carolina Parents Leadership Society and seventh overall including colleges and schools for total dollars raised. 

“We look forward to GiveUNC and find new ways to engage our supporters every year,” said Mike Piehler, director of the UNC Institute for the Environment, chief sustainability officer at Carolina and professor in Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences. “It was exciting to continue our high levels of giving – I was particularly pleased to continue to increase our total number of donors and to have a strong number of student donors. GiveUNC presents the opportunity to fund brand new initiatives. This year we will stand up a program to fund pilot projects proposed by IE team members.” 

The strength of GiveUNC is in the collective impact donors from across the world can make in just one day. This year, several IE Board of Visitors members provided an array of “challenge” gifts to encourage maximum support. The Institute unlocked all of its challenge gifts. 

• IE Board of Visitors Chair Bryan Brice, Jr. ’85 & ’90 Carson Holding Brice ’89 & ’97 donated $25,000 for 60 gifts to IE and $11,250 for 20 student donations. 
• An anonymous member of the IE’s Board of Visitors donated $2,000 for every gift made up to $33,000. 
• IE Director Mike Piehler BS ’90, MPH ’94, PHD ’97 gifted $50 for every donation from IE faculty/staff to any area within the IE, to support a seed grant program to launch pilot research, education and engagement projects up to $1,000.
  

Friends of the Institute near and far also helped to make this day a success. 

The Institute develops multidisciplinary collaborations to understand major environmental issues and engage myriad academic disciplines, public and private partners, and an informed and committed community. Through IE’s air and water research centers, its public service and outreach, sustainability initiatives, and field sites and experiential education programs, the IE provides interdisciplinary forums for faculty, students and community partners to meet pressing environmental challenges.