Give DRAFT 2025

Six students posing for a photo while holding the letters "CHC"

Commonwealth Honors College is a diverse living and learning community of over 3,000 academically accomplished students. 

We meet their curiosity and passion with immersive, interactive education experiences – opportunities for deep intellectual engagement, intensive research, and leadership development.   

We’re committed to expanding our vision of access, inclusion, and excellence to ensure that every Commonwealth Honors College student has the support and the financial resources they need to achieve their academic ambitions, regardless of their financial circumstances.  

With philanthropic support, we aim to expand our scholarship offerings, advance student research, and fuel innovation by investing in faculty. 

Want to learn more about how you can make a difference for Commonwealth Honors College students? 

Learn more about giving options with the information below, or contact Catherine Rider, Executive Director of Development for Commonwealth Honors College.

Jocelyn Velazquez presenting her poster at MassURC 2025

Annual Giving

Annual gifts like yours support individual students and the programs that distinguish Honors education at UMass Amherst. Every gift we receive, no matter the size, helps to make a difference in our college and across our campus. From scholarship funds to research grants, donor support transforms the student experience in critical ways, and enables Commonwealth Honors College to deliver on our critical mission.
Give Now
Two students walking on a path in the Honors College community at UMass Amherst

Endowments

When you establish an endowment fund, you create a lasting legacy on the UMass Amherst campus. Gifts to endowed funds are invested – never spent – and each year a distribution is made to your chosen program or area of support. Endowed funds last in perpetuity, and may be established to provide student scholarships, support academic programs and experiential learning opportunities, and drive innovation through endowed faculty positions.

To learn more about establishing an endowment fund, please contact Catherine Rider, Executive Director of Development for Commonwealth Honors College, using the link below.
Contact Catherine Rider
A person walking in the Honors College community at UMass Amherst

How You Can Make a Gift

As part of a recent transition, all philanthropic giving to the university is now processed through the UMass Amherst Foundation (UMAF), which is the official fundraising arm of the flagship campus, connecting donors to the programs, people, and priorities that matter most, including CHC.

Fall at CHC

Making A Gift Online

Make a gift online to Commonwealth Honors College or explore additional giving options on the UMass Amherst Foundation website. 

Questions? crider [at] umass [dot] edu (Contact Catherine Rider), Executive Director of Development for Commonwealth Honors College.

In the Spotlight

Eva Thomson, a University of Massachusetts Alum, sits outdoors in a beautiful garden

For Eva Thomson '78, '80 MBA, UMass Amherst was a transformative experience that gave her the tools and knowledge she needed to build a meaningful life. She is now dedicated to paying it forward to future generations.

“I give back to the university for a simple reason: The experiences and education I received profoundly changed my life,” says Eva.

Eva Thomson '78, '80 MBA Retired financial advisor and business owner
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In the Spotlight

Michael Nicholson, mayor of Gardner, Massachusetts with Professor Alex Deschamps and a friend

"UMass and the Honors College helped me believe in myself. I was very quiet and shy when I started, but the support system there was amazing. Professor Alex Deschamps was my advisor in the Emerging Scholars program. She was the one who pushed me to realize what I was able to do and opened so many doors for me— just even teaching me how to network."

Michael Nicholson '17 Mayor of Gardner, MA
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Contact

Catherine Rider

Catherine Rider

Executive Director of Development and Chief Development Officer

Catherine Rider is the Executive Director of Development and Chief Development Officer for Commonwealth Honors College

Portrait of Catherine Rider