Welcome to Fundraising Friday, AB Today's weekly digest of recent developments in development.
The UCLA Department of Athletics announced Tuesday a bequest totaling $17.3 million from the late Lawrence "Larry" Layne, a former Bruin rugby student-athlete and coach. The gift will directly benefit the football and men's basketball programs, and represents a mere fraction of the more than $40 million Layne's estate has pledged to benefit multiple areas across the university.
Columbia University Athletics announced Monday a $10 million gift to men's and women's basketball from university trustee chair emeritus Jonathan Lavine, his wife Jeannie and their family. The gift, one of the largest in the history of Columbia Athletics, provides support for both teams and endows the women's head coaching position, now known as the Lavine Family Head Coach of Women's Basketball. Head women's basketball coach Megan Griffith 'will assume the new title immediately. The support for the women's team represents the single largest gift for women's athletics at Columbia.
An anonymous donor has made a $9 million gift to the University of North Carolina Baseball Operating Endowment through The Rams Club, according to the athletic department's Wednesday announcement. Each of Carolina's 28 sports has its own operating endowment. The annual yield from these endowments is made available to each head coach to help meet specific needs that are not covered in the regular operating budget. The Carolina Baseball Operating Endowment provides a permanent revenue stream, ensuring the program will be funded at levels necessary to remain competitive. The donor of this latest gift has challenged fans and supporters to grow the baseball endowment to $25 million. To date, $2.2 million has been pledged.
Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., announced Monday a foundational $1 million gift from alumnus and trustee Joseph Savage to name the college's basketball arena the Donald J. Savage '51 Basketball Arena, honoring the legacy of his father. The investment represents a major step forward for Le Moyne Athletics and will support enhancements to a competition-ready facility that reflects the college's continued growth at the Division I level. Moving forward, Le Moyne basketball and volleyball will compete on Ted Grant Court at the Donald J. Savage '51 Basketball Arena, located within the Event Center at the Thomas J. Niland Jr. Athletic Complex.
Total amount of these gifts:
$37,300,000
Running total for 2026:
$51,300,000
Total amount tracked by AB Today in 2025:
$1,671,578,500
