Welcome to Fundraising Friday: AB Today's Weekly Digest of Recent Developments in Development:
USA Rugby announced Tuesday an unprecedented donation from Michele Kang, owner of the Washington Spirit, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin and London City Lionesses women’s soccer clubs. Kang, who is dedicated to the advancement of women’s sports through Kynisa Sports International — the first global, female-owned, multi-club organization in women’s football — will gift $4 million over the course of four years to the USA Women’s Rugby Sevens team as it looks to grow the sport and provide improved resources to its players and coaching staff in anticipation of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The donation comes on the heels of a historic run for the team in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. After an impressive win over Great Britain on Monday, the United States defeated Australia in the Bronze Medal Match on Tuesday evening, securing the first Olympic medal for the United States rugby sevens across both the men's and women's competitions.
Welcome to Fundraising Friday: AB Today's Weekly Digest of Recent Developments in Development:
USA Rugby announced Tuesday an unprecedented donation from Michele Kang, owner of the Washington Spirit, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin and London City Lionesses women’s soccer clubs. Kang, who is dedicated to the advancement of women’s sports through Kynisa Sports International — the first global, female-owned, multi-club organization in women’s football — will gift $4 million over the course of four years to the USA Women’s Rugby Sevens team as it looks to grow the sport and provide improved resources to its players and coaching staff in anticipation of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The donation comes on the heels of a historic run for the team in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. After an impressive win over Great Britain on Monday, the United States defeated Australia in the Bronze Medal Match on Tuesday evening, securing the first Olympic medal for the United States rugby sevens across both the men's and women's competitions.
University of Kansas chancellor Douglas Girod and KU director of athletics Travis Goff on Thursday announced a $10 million commitment from the Horejsi family toward the Gateway District Project and reimagined David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. This represents only the latest gift from the family, which boasts three generations of Jayhawks. The family's continuous support of KU includes contributions for KU volleyball and the game-changing Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena, support for the School of Business, student scholarships, KU golf, the Booth Hall of Athletics and the Wagnon Study Center.
The Kurt & Tara Arnold Family Foundation and Jason & Kisha Itkin Family Foundation have collectively pledged a total of $40 million to aid the University of Texas athletics mission, the school announced last week. Both foundations have already made numerous significant gifts to athletics, including toward the recent Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium south end zone renovation project, as well as the future Football Training Complex. To recognize the latest pledge — one of the largest philanthropic gifts in the school's athletics history — and the far-reaching impact it will have on the lives of UT student-athletes, coaches and programs for years to come, the names Kurt & Tara Arnold and Jason & Kisha Itkin will now be featured atop the newly installed, 45-foot-high by 160-foot-wide south end zone video scoreboard.
When the University of Central Florida's football team returns to the practice field Monday, the Knights will be playing on the newly named Wayne Densch Practice Complex. As reported by Positively Osceola, the complex’s new name recognizes a new $2.5 million pledge commitment from the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust in support of the Hagle Football Gateway project on UCF’s campus. In 2002, under the leadership of Leonard Williams, the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust made a $2.5 million gift toward the construction of the Wayne Densch Sports Center, which opened in 2003 as the home of UCF football.
Total amount of these gifts:
$56,500,000
