University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Nearly $38M in Private Support Received in 2017
August 08, 2017 | Bruin Athletics
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA Athletic Department received $37,969,916 in private donations during the 2017 fiscal year (July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017), surpassing its annual goal of $30,000,000 by 27%. This total, the third-highest annual total in UCLA Athletics' history, came from over 9,540 individual gifts and brings the department to $221,866,018 raised toward a $260,000,000 goal for private support as part of the University's $4.2 billion Centennial Campaign.
"We want to thank the nearly 10,000 individuals who have invested in our student-athletes this past year," said Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Relations Josh Rebholz. "Due to the generosity of our passionate supporters, we are building a financially sustainable future for UCLA Athletics and making key investments that will enable us to build upon our standing as the premier intercollegiate athletics program in the nation. We are so proud to see alumni, fans and friends of UCLA around the world join us in our dedication to providing our student-athletes with a rewarding experience both academically and athletically, while ensuring our top-ranked programs compete successfully amongst the nation's elite."
The UCLA Centennial Campaign, which runs between 2013 and 2019, incorporates UCLA Athletics' established goal of raising $260 million – one of the most aggressive fundraising efforts in the history of intercollegiate athletics. The Campaign is dedicated to providing the student-athlete with an unparalleled experience both academically and athletically and is focused on impacting UCLA Athletics in three distinct ways: the further enhancement of operational support that provides resources for more than 650 UCLA student-athletes, student-athlete support through endowments, and capital projects that lead to state-of-the-art facilities.
Donations to the Wooden Athletic Fund, the general fund for UCLA Athletics, received record-high philanthropic support for the fifth consecutive year, accounting for $14.6 million of this year's donations from a record 8,513 members. Through the ongoing 10KCHAMP10NS campaign, the Wooden Athletic Fund is striving to reach 10,000 members in support of UCLA's student-athletes. With levels of annual giving that range from $100 to more than $50,000 annually, all UCLA alumni, fans and friends have the ability to help champion UCLA student-athletes and lend valuable support to UCLA Athletics.
Additionally, UCLA received $8,454,439 in private support to establish 46 new student-athlete scholarship endowments through the Forever Champions initiative, which seeks to build upon the strong foundation of perpetual resources provided by the original investors of the Four Deep Scholarship Endowment Campaign. The Forever Champions initiative allows donors to create an everlasting endowment, directed to the sport of choice, to support the educational and athletic experience of UCLA student-athletes for years to come while enjoying exclusive, lifetime benefits from the athletics department through the Wooden Athletic Fund. This past year, the UCLA Chancellor's Centennial Scholars Match Program, which was aimed at adding $150 million to endowment scholarship support across campus, provided a 50% match for any scholarship endowment donation from $75,000 to $1M, resulting in an additional $4,227,219 in endowed scholarship funding that is in addition to the $37,969,916 total.
Capital projects funding totaled in excess of $5.7M, with UCLA quickly approaching the openings of new, state-of-the-art training facilities for both football (Wasserman Football Center – opened August 1, 2017) and basketball (Mo Ostin Basketball Center – projected to open Fall 2017). These new facilities, along with planned new construction of Wallis Annenberg Stadium (future home of UCLA Soccer), major improvements to the UCLA Beach Volleyball home courts at the Sunset Recreation Center and smaller improvements to a host of other UCLA Athletics venues will ensure that UCLA's student-athletes continue to compete in world-class competition and training venues for years to come.
In 2017, athletic department expenses are projected to reach more than $100 million. With no state funding, nearly 97 percent of all total expenses are the direct responsibility of UCLA Athletics. With costs across the board continuing to rise as the landscape of intercollegiate athletics evolves and certain projected revenue streams produce at a rate lower than expected, it is vital for UCLA Athletics to generate revenue through private donations as existing self-controlled revenue streams have now been maximized, namely through the department's shoe and apparel partnership with Under Armour and multimedia rights agreement with WME/IMG.
For more information on the Centennial Campaign or to support UCLA student-athletes, contact the UCLA Athletics Development Office at 310-206-3302 or visit www.woodenathleticfund.com.
