Our Culture

Johns Hopkins Development and Alumni Relations is regarded as one of the country’s top academic fundraising and constituent engagement programs.

Our Johns Hopkins culture of philanthropy stems from the very founding of our interconnected institutions. The Johns Hopkins University and The Johns Hopkins Hospital were established with a $7 million gift from 19th-century Maryland philanthropist Johns Hopkins, an entrepreneur with Quaker roots who believed in improving public health and education in Baltimore and beyond. At the time, it was the largest philanthropic bequest in U.S. history.

The Johns Hopkins University opened in 1876 as America’s first research university, founded on the principle that by pursuing big ideas and sharing what we learn, we make the world a better place. The Johns Hopkins Hospital opened in 1889, followed four years later by our university’s School of Medicine, revolutionizing medical practice, teaching, and research in the United States.

Our mission in Development and Alumni Relations is to build and sustain enduring relationships that result in philanthropy and advocacy on behalf of our amazing faculty, clinicians, and students.