Welcome to Fundraising Friday, AB Today's weekly digest of recent developments in development.
DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., announced Monday a landmark $80 million philanthropic commitment from an anonymous donor. The gift, from an alumnus of the university, is among the largest in DePauw's nearly 200-year history and in all of NCAA Division III athletics. It will enable construction of a 70,000-square-foot athletic stadium and sports performance center, including "best-in-class facilities that will redefine student-athlete wellness, fan experience and community engagement in Division III athletics," according to the announcement.
Stanford University philanthropist and former trustee Bradford Freeman, who came to Stanford on a football scholarship and graduated in 1964, has made a $50 million gift to benefit Stanford football, the school announced Wednesday. Freeman’s gift includes significant support for institutional NIL and creates five new football scholarships for student-athletes.
Fresno State men’s basketball coach Vance Walberg and his family recently donated $1 million to the Valley Co-Op, the athletics department’s fundraising initiative that helps pay for a program’s operational needs, including the recruitment and retention of student-athletes. Walberg and his family donated the money to help reverse the fortunes of a team in decline and kickstart fundraising into the future, the coach told The Fresno Bee.
Total amount of these gifts:
$131,000,000
Running total for 2025:
$1,146,568,500
Total amount tracked by AB Today in 2024:
$943,830,339
