
Called to serve. Empowered to lead.
Perkins School of Theology
Perkins School of Theology forges dedicated servant leaders for 21st-century ministry. Engaging with a culturally and theologically diverse faculty prepares students in graduate and certificate programs to boldly embrace a global perspective while also following their calling. Practical internships immerse students in real-world ministries, and public programs welcome the wider community for enrichment experiences. Centers engage faculty in interdisciplinary research and education opportunities.
SMU Fund for Perkins
Your gift to the SMU Fund for Perkins ignites new opportunities for Perkins School students and faculty. Supporting this fund provides flexible resources allocated at the dean’s discretion for faculty research grants, community outreach, scholarships and new initiatives as the needs arise. Our goal is to raise $300,000 to ensure timely support.

Scholarships empower outstanding students
A three-year commitment of $7,000 per year empowers our students and enriches their studies, granting you a unique opportunity to walk beside candidates as they pursue their faithful education journeys.
Encourage “the best of the best” to pursue this unparalleled program through your two-year commitment of $10,000 per year to the fund.
Through your gifts of $10,000 or more, you will provide promising PhD students with the extra resources they need to pursue study at the highest level – preparing them for research, teaching and ministry opportunities.
Create a named endowed fund in memory or honor of a person or organization with a gift of $100,000 or more and provide funds in perpetuity for Perkins students in all degree programs. Help us offset the rising cost of higher education by providing a dependable source of income, minimizing the need for tuition increases.
Make an impact
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Caren and Vin Prothro organ for Perkins Chapel
Enriching Perkins School’s musical outreach and programming, a classic E.M. Skinner organ, unique to Dallas, has been gifted to SMU’s Perkins Chapel. The organ will bring new spirit and empower life-changing ministry by bringing people together through music. With $1.2 million already pledged toward the organ’s restoration, your gift can help fund the remaining $800,000 needed for its completion.
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Perkins centers of engagement
Your participation is essential to the growth of Perkins centers of engagement. Your gift expands and deepens Perkins’ impact in the Dallas community and beyond. Key centers target specific areas.

As the premier private university in North Texas, SMU exists to shape future leaders who transform communities and organizations through ingenuity and thoughtful problem-solving. Building on our history of excellence, we now embark on SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow – our multiyear, $1.5 billion campaign to attract and support outstanding students and faculty, to explore new fields and cutting-edge technologies, and to positively impact Dallas and the world beyond. We invite you to join us and empower the bold, the curious and the creative to better their professions and their communities.
SHAPE A BRIGHTER TOMORROW
John A. Martin
Director of Development
Perkins School of Theology
johnma@smu.edu or 214-768-2026