The Gregorian University Foundation (GUF) is pleased to present the organization's 2024 Impact Report. The Report includes updates offered by GUF President Fr. Thomas J. Merkel S.J., Director David T. Ralston Jr., as well as news on operating fund, funding highlights, foundation grants, initiatives, programs and events promoted by the GUF. It also presents a complete list of donations received.
Father Merkel made special mention of the first meeting between a group of American benefactors and Pope Leo XIV. "In October 2025, we made a Colloquium Pilgrimage to Rome. With our group of 38 pilgrims, I presented Pope Leo XIV with the St. Ignatius Medal as well as a gift of a baseball card of a famous Chicago White Sox player from one of the members of our group. In a full-throated way, Pope Leo thanked our group of pilgrims for their support of the Gregorian University. He expressed full knowledge of the integrated institutes, shared his experience of having studied in our libraries and told us that he follows the academic work of some of our faculty and students. He closed with another full-throated thank you to our group. During this same trip, we presented St. Ignatius Medals to Cardinal Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, to Cardinal Peter Turkson and to Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer."
"Thanks to your support," Director David T. Ralston Jr. writes to the donors, "the Foundation has become an essential pillar of the Gregorian’s mission, as our 2025 monies to Rome provided more than 90% of the Gregorian’s scholarship grants and 15% of the Gregorian’s entire 2025 annual funding."