The Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) annual survey collects data on fundraising outcomes in higher education institutions in the United States. It is regarded as the definitive source of information on philanthropic support of those institutions. This research brief--the first in a series--is an example of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's (CASE's) ambition to provide high-quality data about educational philanthropy and communicate research findings that are easily digestible, engaging and contextual. This is a summary of the key findings from the 2017-2018 academic fiscal year. According to the VSE survey, voluntary support of U.S. higher education institutions reached $46.73 billion in 2018, an increase of 7.2 percent over 2017 and the highest amount ever reported. This year's increase follows a nine-year trend of growth following the decline in contributions to colleges and universities in fiscal year 2009. Charitable support to higher education institutions grew in each subsequent year. Total estimated support of U.S. higher education institutions rose 67.8 percent between 2009 and 2018.