Welcome to Fundraising Friday, AB Today's weekly digest of recent developments in development.
The University of Maine Foundation and Maine Athletics have announced a $10 million estate gift from 1964 graduate Phillip Morse. The latest gift marks the fifth major investment in Maine Athletics by the Morse family over the past 30 years and follows a $10 million commitment in 2022 that secured naming rights to Morse Arena and Chappelle Court, which is expected to be completed and in use during the 2027-28 basketball season. According to Wednesday's announcement, the new $10 million commitment will establish the endowed Morse Arena, Alfond Stadium and Alfond Arena Endowment Fund, providing long-term support for the maintenance and enhancement of those facilities. A portion of the gift will also create the Morse Recruitment and Retention Fund, which will help recruit and retain UMaine coaches and staff, as well as the Morse Baseball Support Fund, which will provide resources for travel, projects and other baseball program needs.
The Pasadena (Calif.) Unified School District Board of Education accepted a $2 million donation from the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation — established by Vanessa Bryant in memory of her husband, Kobe Bryant, and daughter Gianna Bryant — to replace the John Muir High School varsity softball field with a state-of-the-art synthetic turf system. As reported April 25 by Pasadena Now, players, coaches and parents, several of whom lost homes in the Eaton Fire in January, told the board the current field has become a safety hazard, with uneven grass, rocks and gopher holes causing repeated injuries. The action also approved the proposed name — “Kobe and Gianna Bryant Field” — and initiated the formal naming process for the John Muir High School softball field.
The athletic department at Pepperdine University on Malibu, Calif., has announced a $1 million gift from Karl and Dian Zeile that will support student-athlete nutrition initiatives and establish a new endowed scholarship for the women's soccer program. According to Tuesday's announcement, the first of the two initiatives establishes the Karl and Dian Zeile Women's Soccer Endowed Scholarship, with the $500,000 endowment — the largest single gift directly supporting female student-athletes in Pepperdine Athletics history — providing long-term scholarship support for the women's soccer program The second supports the establishment of the Fueling Elite Performance Program, including the hiring of a part-time sports nutritionist who will work directly with Pepperdine teams and individual student-athletes. Additionally, the Fueling Elite Performance Program will enhance the availability of pre-performance and recovery nutrition, as well as additional fueling opportunities across all Pepperdine programs.
Florida Gulf Coast University Athletics is the recipient of a $1 million, 10-year gift intention from Naples-based Arthrex, a global leader in multispecialty minimally invasive surgical technology, scientific research, manufacturing and medical education, as well as a pioneer in the field of arthroscopy. The grant will support FGCU's athletic training department, providing educational and professional development opportunities for sports medicine staff and interested student-athletes.
Total amount of these gifts:
$14,000,000
Running total for 2026:
$341,242,000
Total amount tracked by AB Today in 2025:
$1,671,578,500
