Welcome to Fundraising Friday, AB Today's weekly digest of recent developments in development.
Sioux Falls-based telecommunications company Midco and the University of South Dakota athletics department announced Thursday a $1.5 million gift that will transform the former Dome Club into the Midco Club, a renovated premium space designed to bring Coyote fans closer to the action inside the DakotaDome. The agreement includes naming rights for the Midco Club and a slate of upgrades that will elevate the gameday experience, including new windows that open to the DakotaDome on gamedays, additional TVs, new furniture and refreshed finishes throughout the space. Additional gameday seats will also be added to the Midco Club, with a limited number available for purchase on a season basis.
The University of Central Florida athletics department has announced that Ron and Julie Cartwright have made a new $500,000 pledge commitment in addition to their current pledge of $250,000. Proceeds of their $750,000 commitment will support the Hagle Football Gateway project. In recognition of their generosity and longstanding commitment to the university, UCF Athletics will name the Ron and Julie Cartwright Head Coaches Corner, a landscaped gathering space located near IOA Plaza between the north and south entrances of the new Roth Tower at Acrisure Bounce House. According to the July 30 announcement, the Head Coaches Corner will serve as a permanent tribute to the legacy of UCF Football by honoring the history of the program's head coaches. The space will also become the new home of the George O'Leary statue, creating a destination that celebrates the leaders who helped shape the Knights' rise on the national stage.
An estate gift from the late Carol and Dale Tumey of Greenwood, Ind., is advancing Franklin Forward: The Campaign for Franklin College. According to Wednesday's announcement, the Tumeys' estate gift of more than $400,000 establishes endowed funds to support men's and women's athletics, creating opportunities for student-athletes now and for generations to come.
Indiana State Athletics has received a $300,000 commitment from the Wilkinson family that will have a significant impact on the Sycamore men's basketball program. The commitment will directly enhance the student-athlete experience by providing critical resources that support the continued growth and success of the men's basketball program, according to the July 30 announcement.
Total amount of these gifts:
$2,950,000
Running total for 2026:
$559,077,000
Total amount tracked by AB Today in 2025:
$1,671,578,500
