Welcome to Fundraising Friday, AB Today's weekly digest of recent developments in development.
An anonymous donor has made the largest-ever gift to Virginia Tech Athletics. The $20 million commitment, announced Monday, follows the university’s rollout of an ambitious budget plan to better position Hokies teams to compete at the highest level. The gift will advance the university’s strategy — known as "Invest to Win" — to empower Virginia Tech Athletics to excel in the NCAA’s current Division I and Football Bowl Subdivision I landscapes. The budget plan calls for a $229 million investment in athletics, coming from operational and philanthropic sources. This gift and others made in support of the university’s commitment to excellence in athletics will empower new head football coach James Franklin and all other athletic programs to build top teams, according to the announcement.
Two anonymous families have each given $10 million gifts to support Georgia Tech athletics’ "Full Steam Ahead initiative" and the Yellow Jackets’ football program, Tech vice president and director of athletics Ryan Alpert announced Thursday. With these transformative gifts totaling $20 million, Georgia Tech athletics is on pace to set a new fundraising record in the 2026 fiscal year, as donor participation is up 21% in just six months since the fiscal year began on July 1. In just 14 months since the public launch of "Full Steam Ahead," Tech Athletics has received nearly $90 million in new commitments to the initiative.
Two-time PGA Champion Justin Thomas, a 2013 NCAA Champion while a member of the University of Alabama men's golf team, has committed $1 million to the Crimson Standard, which will be directed to the men's and women's golf facility, the Crimson Reserve, according to the athletic department's Tuesday announcement. Thomas, who competed for the Crimson Tide from 2011-13, earned national recognition throughout his career as the Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year, Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year and the Haskins Award winner.
Chloé and Ric Mayers, a Tuscaloosa couple known for their philanthropic commitment to children and family focused causes, have donated $1 million to Tuscaloosa Academy, a private school member of the Alabama High School Athletic Association, according a Tuesday report in the Tuscaloosa News, citing to a Dec. 4 release. The gift will support the development of a new state-of-the-art athletic center.
By unanimous vote Monday night in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the Lewis Central School Board accepted a $700,000 donation from Dr. John and Jean Marshall. As reported Tuesday by KMA Radio in Shenandoah, the amount represents half of the money needed for construction of a $1.4 million addition to the Lewis Central School District field house that would solve a number of issues, including adequate locker room space, allowing Iowa Western Community College's football team and visitors to move out of the middle school.
The University of Hawaii athletics department announced Tuesday receipt of a $300,000 gift from the Downtown Athletic Club of Hawaii to support the Rainbow Warrior football program through the team's "Boost the 'Bows Fund," which is set up to support UH Athletics' ability to recruit and retain elite student-athletes through its NIL fund.
The United States Tennis Association announced Monday that it has awarded a $200,000 Tennis Venue Services grant to the University of North Carolina at Asheville, while USTA Southern contributed an additional $100,000 and USTA North Carolina added $10,000. The grant funds totaling $310,000 will be used toward the construction of UNC Asheville's new on-campus tennis facility. Work on the new six-court outdoor tennis facility is set to begin in early 2026.
Tulane Athletics announced Monday that head football coach Jon Sumrall and his wife, Ginny, have made a generous $100,000 contribution to the "Green Wave Talent Fund" in support of the program's next head coach, Will Hall. The Green Wave Talent Fund is a Tulane Athletics initiative to expand NIL opportunities for Tulane student-athletes. This season, Sumrall led the Green Wave to its second American Conference championship in four years and first College Football Playoff appearance. As reported by nola.com, Sumrall was announced as the University of Florida's new football head coach Nov. 30. To join the Gators, the coach agreed to a six-year, $44.7 million contract. He'll receive a salary of $7.45 million per year and a $16.3 million annual budget to hire his assistant coaches and support staff, according to the school. Both Tulane and Florida agreed to allow Sumrall to finish the season coaching the Green Wave in the CFP before he heads to Gainesville and starts his new chapter in the SEC.
Total amount of these gifts:
$43,410,000
Total amount tracked by AB Today in 2025:
$1,671,578,500
Total amount tracked by AB Today in 2024:
$943,830,339
