Pierre and Pamela Omidyar donated the first $5 million of what will eventually be $25 million toward undergraduate financial aid this summer.
The initial donation was made in June, but the announcement was made Monday, Sept. 12 in an e-mail to the Tufts community from President Lawrence Bacow.
This is the second largest individual donation to the University. The largest gift was $50 million for the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine from real estate developer William Cummings.
The Omidyars donated $10 million in 2000 to found the University College of Citizenship and Public Service. Last year they contributed $8.2 million to fund the University College through 2010.
Pierre is the founder of eBay and serves on the University's board of trustees. Pamela serves on the advisory board of the University College.
According to Bacow's e-mail, the Omidyars' most recent donation is designed to help the University have need-blind undergraduate admissions. The undergraduate Office of Admissions currently operates on a need-aware policy, where only a small minority of the incoming class is accepted based on its need for financial aid.
Bacow's e-mail said the University needs $200 million to move to a need-blind system. The remaining $20 million of the Omidyars' gift has been structured to be delivered as that goal is reached.
Executive Vice-President Steven Manos said the details of the gift were confidential. "It's a private arrangement between us and the donor," he said.
Michelle Goguen, the head of public relations at the Omidyar Network, the couple's philanthropy organization, said Bacow's e-mail provided all of the information the parties were able to divulge.
