Welcome to Fundraising Friday: AB Today's weekly digest of recent developments in development.
The University of Missouri made headlines nationwide this week with the announcement Monday that an anonymous donor had committed $62 million to the athletic department. The historic donation, which earmarks $50 million for Memorial Stadium renovations and $12 million toward Mizzou's Tiger Fund, more than doubles the previous record gift made to the athletic department in 2012. The Tiger Fund is a charitable program through the Tiger Scholarship Fund that benefits Mizzou student-athletes, and is not an NIL collective, as some media outlets have reported. "A gift of this kind speaks to the tremendous loyalty this particular donor has for not only our football program, but all of our student-athletes at Mizzou," Missouri football coach Eliah Drinkwitz, the 2023 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year, said as part of the athletic department's announcement. "Creating a game-day experience second to none is our goal. We can now take a significant step forward — thanks to this gift — in enhancing the atmosphere and fan amenities at Faurot Field. And we'll be able to see the lasting impact of it for years to come."
The University of Pennsylvania athletic department, host of the renowned Penn Relays, announced Monday that it had received a $3 million donation from alumni couple H. Elliott Rogers Jr. and Gail Underwood Rogers, who have been supporting the Red and Blue’s track and field programs for more than 45 years. According to Penn Athletics, the gift will provide funding for many different aspects of the track and field and cross-country programs, including equipment, travel, recruiting and student-athlete wellness. Previous gifts from the couple include the installation of a new track at Franklin Field, the Rogers Family Assistant Coach position, and the endowment of the Rogers-O'Hern Lyons Track/Oval inside Franklin Field to recognize track and cross country alum Kate O'Hern Lyons, a 1986 graduate and 2008 Penn Athletics Hall of Fame inductee.
A pair of Tennessee Tech University alumni, board of trustees members and philanthropists have pledged a combined $1 million to support the university's athletic programs, the school announced Thursday. Fred Lowery, a 1994 Tech football alumnus and university trustee since 2019, pledged $500,000 toward the campaign to rebuild the west side of Tech's football stadium and construct a dedicated football operations center. Tom Jones, a 1986 Tech graduate, pledged $500,000 toward the establishment of a new running track to replace the existing track encircling the football field. That track will be removed as part of the stadium renovation plan, which calls for bringing spectator seating closer to the field.
Total amount of these gifts:
$66,000,000
