Welcome to Fundraising Friday, AB Today's weekly digest of recent developments in development.
The University of Michigan athletic department announced Thursday a $6 million grant from the Weiser Charitable Foundation and longtime University of Michigan philanthropist and regent emeritus Ron Weiser. The grant establishes two endowed funds: the Marc A. Weiser Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Fund to support the director of the track and field and cross country teams; and the Ronald N. Weiser Wrestling Coach Fund to support the wrestling team’s head coach.
Colby College in Waterville, Maine, announced Tuesday that Colby will create its first named varsity assistant coaching position in women’s athletics thanks to a $1 million donation to the Dare Northward campaign from trustee emeritus Rick McVey. The McVey Family Women’s Lacrosse Fund will create and support the endowed coaching position for women’s lacrosse. In recognition, Colby will name the assistant women’s lacrosse coach in honor of the McVey family as the McVey Family Women’s Lacrosse Assistant Coach.
The University of Maryland announced Monday that Victor and Lynne Brick, longtime Baltimore County residents and prominent local business owners and community leaders, have made a $1 million commitment in support of the Maryland women's basketball program. Their daughter, Vicki Brick-Zupancic, was a member of the Maryland women's basketball team from 2000 through 2004 and passed away in April 2025 from ovarian cancer. The Brick's commitment establishes the Vicki Brick-Zupancic Memorial Endowed Scholarship for Women's Basketball and dedicates the Vicki Brick-Zupancic Women's Basketball Locker Room at the Barry P. Gossett Basketball Performance Center.
A $1 million gift from an undisclosed donor has launched a multimillion-dollar fundraising campaign to revamp athletic facilities at Loyola University in New Orleans built in the 1980s when Loyola didn't sponsor any of the 20 intercollegiate teams it does currently, the Times-Picayune reported Monday.
During halftime at Texas State University's Oct. 11 homecoming game, Mitchell and Pam Ward presented a check of $2 million to their alma mater, located in San Marcos. Mitchell Ward played football for the Bobcats while at Texas State and met his future wife there. As reported by NBC affiliate KXAS in Dallas-Fort Worth, the donation will support the new athletic academic center and will be named the Mitchell Ward and Pam Wills-Ward Athletic Academic Center in their honor.
The Fresno Bee reported earlier this month that Fresno State basketball coach Vance Walberg and the Walberg family have donated $1 million to the program through the Valley Co-Op, the athletic department’s fundraising initiative. The gift will support the recruitment and retention of student-athletes through NIL, as well as "feeding the kids," Walberg said after an early October practice.
Total amount of these gifts:
$12,000,000
Running total for 2025:
1,158,568,500
Total amount tracked by AB Today in 2024:
$943,830,339
