Yale Law School Fund

Annual giving is more than just a tradition — it’s the lifeblood of our School. It fuels our aspirations, nurtures our students’ ambitions, and transforms our campus into a dynamic center of innovation and growth. Your annual gift is a powerful expression of belief, sparking change and progress. By making annual giving a part of your philanthropic journey, you amplify your commitment, pride, and connection to Yale Law School — year after year. Every contribution, no matter the amount, helps us turn our values into tangible actions, ensuring that the School remains a leader, driven by purpose and passion. Together, we can shape a brighter future for all.

The following annual giving opportunities direct essential funds toward emerging needs and exciting opportunities, providing vital support for programs, capital initiatives, and the exceptional people who make Yale Law School extraordinary.

Yale Law School Fund: Gifts to the Fund open doors to opportunity, providing financial resources for the Dean to seed new ideas and seize new opportunities in service to the School's mission. Gifts to the Yale Law School Fund also underwrite activities for students and faculty that reinforce the core values of lawyering, foster discourse, and bridge differences.

Financial Aid and Access Fund: The ability to offer competitive, need-based financial aid allows Yale Law School to attract, enroll, and retain the next generation’s best and brightest candidates from across the globe, regardless of their ability to pay.

Gifts in support of financial aid grow Yale Law School's need-based aid program for J.D. students, underwrite Summer Public Interest Fellowships (SPIF), and expand our Career Options Assistance Program (COAP), which helps graduates pursue nonprofit, government, academic paths, and careers in service to the benefit of society.

Clinical and Experiential Learning Fund: Contributions supporting clinical education bolster important clinical programs, grow and support our clinical faculty, and offer funding for immediate opportunities and operational support.

Yale Law School Life Fund: Provides financial flexibility to address pressing needs, meet unexpected challenges, and pursue new initiatives that benefit Yale Law School students, including fostering memorable activities, leadership opportunities, and supportive communities that help current students learn, grow, and reach their fullest potential.

Graduate and Advanced Degree Programs Fund: Provides financial resources for students enrolled in one of four advanced degree programs at Yale Law School, including the J.S.D., M.S.L., L.L.M., and Ph.D.

Lillian Goldman Law Library Fund: Provides support for collections, research, and community designed to meet curiosity’s demands, deepen expertise, and grow knowledge in service of the global legal community.

Excellence in Teaching and Research Fund: Provides support for curricular development and faculty research.

Student Resilience and Retention Fund: Provides a safety net to cover unexpected one-time expenses encountered by students, such as technology needs, clothing needs, medical expenses, or emergency travel.

Make a gift to Yale Law School today.¹

“Investing in a Better Tomorrow”: Jody Yetzer ’97 Hopes to Inspire Giving as Fund Board Chair

December 20, 2024

The Yale Law School Fund Board welcomed Jody Yetzer ’97 as its chair in July 2024. Yetzer, a civil rights lawyer who currently serves as counsel at Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP, received her B.A. from Union College before earning her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she was editor of the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism and student director of the Poverty Law Clinic.

In addition to her new role for the Fund Board, Yetzer serves as a board member of OneSource Center for Nonprofit Excellence, Dress for Success Cincinnati & Portaluca, and The Power of Music.

In an interview with Yale Law School, Yetzer shared her inspiration for giving back and the fulfillment that comes from paying it forward.

What inspired you to take on the role of Yale Law School Fund Board chair?

I was truly honored and humbled to be asked to take on the role of Fund Board chair. When I reflect on the impact Yale Law School has had on me and my family, I realize all roads point back to this special place. I met my husband, Aly Kayne ’97, on move-in day in 1994 — in Entryway H! During that first summer, I benefited from the Summer Public Interest Fellowship (SPIF) and had the privilege of working at the ACLU of Alabama, litigating significant civil rights cases. I fell in love with the work, and it launched my career in civil rights and social justice — fields I am still working hard at to this day. I believe Yale Law School is a valuable philanthropic investment because I see its impact. I know the institution. I know the people. This is a place that is doing good in the world. It is my honor to pay forward the myriad gifts Yale has given me and to serve the Law School, Dean Gerken’s visionary leadership, and her and her team's tireless commitment to excellence.

How has giving back to Yale Law School been important for you?

I donated to the Law School Fund every year since graduation because of my gratitude for all that the Law School did for me. As we approached our 25th Reunion and found ourselves — for the first time in our collective families’ lives — in the extraordinary position of being able to make a significant philanthropic gift, the decision of where to direct our funds was easy: We would help facilitate Yale Law students’ path to public service by endowing a summer public interest fellowship fund.

Our investment has multiple returns. Not only are the student recipients directly aided, but the public interest organizations they work for and the clients they serve also benefit. The opportunity to have this kind of impact is so important and meaningful to me and to my family.

What’s special about the Yale Law School community?

I always say that the people I met at the Law School were among the finest in the world. They were the brightest, most respectful, caring, and thoughtful individuals one could imagine — true role models. The staff and leadership were unbelievably supportive in helping me achieve my goals. My classmates give me continued confidence that the future is bright. I carry the lessons I learned at YLS close to my heart, every day. I love coming back to the Law School. It always feels like home.

What would you say to alumni who have never donated to the Yale Law School Fund?

Like the ripple effect of philanthropy, justice also cascades outward. It leads to wellness, wholeness, and stronger communities. Yaw Law students, like no other, are taught how to think critically and creatively about the world and to engage in open, respectful dialogue — what many agree are the essential elements of a more just world. Investing in YLS students is an investment in a better tomorrow. This is the difference that donating to Yale Law School makes.

Yale Law School Fund

“Investing in a Better Tomorrow”: Jody Yetzer ’97 Hopes to Inspire Giving as Fund Board Chair

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