Welcome to Fundraising Friday, AB Today's weekly digest of recent developments in development.
Northwestern University has announced a three-year, $35 million commitment from the Uihlein family to support the continued growth and success of the Wildcats football program. According to Tuesday's announcement, the commitment will support student-athlete development, operational priorities, recruiting and strategic investments designed to position Northwestern football for sustained success in the Big Ten Conference and on the national stage.
On Wednesday, the University of Notre Dame announced that 1976 graduate Bob Hinton of Ada, Michigan, made a $20 million gift to name Notre Dame Stadium’s iconic north tunnel and media room. Beginning this season, the Notre Dame Football team will take the field for every home game by running through the Bob Hinton Tunnel, according to the announcement, which adds the Fighting Irish coaches and student-athletes will conclude game days by discussing the day’s action inside the Bob Hinton Media Room at Notre Dame Stadium.
University of Maryland alum Stephen Schanwald, former executive vice president of business operations for the Chicago Bulls, has made a new commitment of $15 million to his alma mater, split between supporting construction of a state-of-the-art golf performance center on UMD's campus and growing the Stephen M. Schanwald Sports Management Program in the Robert H. Smith School of Business. According to Wednesday's announcement, the golf facility will be named for him, and the school will name a wing in Van Munching Hall the Stephen M. Schanwald Gateway for Smith.
Total amount of these gifts:
$70,000,000
Running total for 2026:
$629,077,000
Total amount tracked by AB Today in 2025:
$1,671,578,500
