Welcome to Fundraising Friday, AB Today's weekly digest of recent developments in development.
University of Massachusetts alum and former Apple innovator Daniel Riccio Jr. and wife Diane have committed $3 million to the Script U Scholarship Society to support the UMass football program. According to the athletics department's Thursday announcement, the Script U Scholarship Society is a fundraising initiative supporting Massachusetts Athletics programs through student-athlete scholarships and additional financial benefits. Launched in 2025 to address the evolving demands of NCAA Division I athletics, the society helps the department recruit, retain and develop outstanding student-athletes. Following a more than $7 million increase in its scholarship and additional financial benefits budget, Massachusetts Athletics enters the society's second year focused on sustaining academic and competitive success through continued donor support.
The University of North Carolina Wilmington athletics department announced Wednesday a $3 million gift from Michael McCarley and Nancy Langevin. The largest philanthropic gift in Seahawk Athletics will advance facility enhancements for the men's and women's tennis programs while establishing an endowed fund to support the continued success of men's basketball. The gift will help bring a state-of-the-art tennis facility to UNCW's campus that will feature six championship-caliber courts, updated locker rooms for both programs, and enhanced seating for fans. In addition to supporting the development and ongoing maintenance of the tennis facility, McCarley and Langevin will establish an endowed fund to advance the long-term vision for UNCW men's basketball.
Three days before Maryville College in Tennessee celebrated Homecoming 2026, New Jersey resident Kelly Zappa Thompson returned to East Tennessee to finalize details of the $1.5 million gift in her Joe's name. It’s the largest gift ever received by the Maryville Athletics, according to the department's Oct. 22 announcement. The Joe Zappa Football Complex — scheduled for completion in time for the 2027-28 academic year — will include a synthetic turf field and a new lighting system.
Total amount of these gifts:
$7,500,000
Running total for 2026:
$756,108,347
Total amount tracked by AB Today in 2025:
$1,671,578,500
