According to 2018 research conducted by APM Research Lab, the research arm of the nonprofit public radio organization American Public Media, most Americans believe that government funding for higher education has increased or at least held firm over the last ten years. That is not the case, however. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), inflation-adjusted state funding of higher education declined $9 billion over the past decade. Philanthropic support of higher education comes from a range of sources, including corporations, foundations, religious organizations, parents of former and current students, friends of the institutions and alumni. Giving to higher education institutions by any source is increasingly important given declines in funding from other sources, such as from the states. This brief specifically examines alumni giving. It is part of a series based on data collected in Council for Advancement and Support of Education's Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) survey for fiscal 2018-the 2017-18 academic year.