Welcome to Fundraising Friday, AB Today's weekly digest of recent developments in development.
Some fundraising news can't wait until Friday. As its top story Thursday, AB Today reported on billionaire investor David Booth's jaw-dropping commitment of $300 million toward his alma mater, the University of Kansas, where the football stadium already bears his name. Booth’s latest gift, believed to be one of the largest in collegiate athletics history, will propel the KU Gateway District’s next phase, which adds to private and civic investment for a new hotel, additional retail and restaurant spaces, student housing, improved parking and an outdoor event plaza, according to the university's announcement. The gift comes on the heels of last week's headline-grabbing $25 million gift toward the Gateway District from KU alums Paul and Linda DeBruce.
Binghamton University, part of the State University of New York system, announced Thursday that it has received a $22 million gift from an anonymous donor to enhance scholarship support for its NCAA Division I athletics programs. The gift, one of the largest in university athletics history, will be matched by $11 million from the State of New York, creating a $33 million endowment to expand scholarships for student-athletes across multiple sports. According to the university's announcement, the gift will create the equivalent of 40 new full athletic scholarships, divided evenly between men’s and women’s sports, raising most programs to the NCAA maximum or near-maximum scholarship levels.
A $4.5 million anonymous estate gift to Southern Illinois University will help support women's athletics scholarships and improvements to the Sulukis' softball stadium. Specifically, $4 million to support scholarships for female student-athletes, and $500,000 to support the stadium upgrades, according to SIU's Aug. 8 announcement. The gift is the latest in the Saluki Unleashed campaign, which aims to enhance revenue within SIU Athletics by $100 million.
Total amount of these gifts:
$326,500,000
Running total for 2025:
$829,908,500
Total amount tracked by AB Today in 2024:
$943,830,339
