Faculty and students collaborate on societal challenges
Dani Moore ’85, president of the Mary Alice Fortin Foundation, wanted to support partnerships between faculty and students to address pressing challenges.
Bass Connections provided a great opportunity to support both Duke’s teaching and research missions. In Dec. 2017, the Fortin Foundation made a $250,000 expendable gift to Bass Connections and established a $750,000 endowment for Bass Connections in Dec. 2018. The total amount was matched by $500,000 from the Bass Connections Challenge fund.
These unrestricted gifts have enabled Bass Connections to continue growing to meet student demand while also introducing new program innovations. Having sufficient funds that can be deployed flexibly as Bass Connections continues to evolve will be crucial to growing the impact of the program over time.
