Gary Grant, JD
Vice President for Development
Institutional Advancement

Gary Grant, JD oversees a growing staff focused on fundraising efforts in crucial areas including the campus master plan, endowments, major gifts, annual giving and scholarships.

Gary received his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Chicago in 1987 and his Juris Doctor (law degree) from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1994. He worked for more than 15 years in development at the University of Chicago, serving as the associate dean for external affairs at the School of Social Service Administration. There he led a successful 5-year, $10 million capital campaign which helped the School to achieve and maintain its ranking as the number two school of social work in the country. His work included board management for its 40-member Visiting Committee, alumni relations, and public relations. His chief responsibility was fundraising, including major gifts, annual fund, planned gifts, and grant writing.

Gary also worked with students in the school and developed the first social work student-edited journal, the "Advocate's Forum," and he created and taught professional development courses for social workers on using the internet in their field. Gary has co-authored several books, including "Fundraising Online: Using the Internet to Raise Serious Money for Your Nonprofit Organization," (2006) "The Social Worker's Internet Handbook," (1998) and "The Nonprofit Internet Handbook" (1998).

Gary also spent five years as senior development officer and director of Major Gifts for the University of Chicago Medical Center. In this role, he was responsible for managing and expanding the major gifts program at the University of Chicago Hospitals and the Division of Biological Sciences. He primarily worked with the grateful patient program and led major gift fundraising efforts for the Departments of Medicine, Neurology, Surgery, and Pediatrics and for the cancer programs. He helped to complete a $25 million campaign for the neurosciences and to establish several centers of excellence.

Prior to joining the Health Science Center, Gary served as the Director of Major Gifts for the National Alzheimer’s Association, working with individuals across the country and leading a team in raising $67 million in five years for Alzheimer’s research, care and education.