$19.2 MILLION TO RAISE
The Annual Fund includes gifts made by UVA fans including alumni, student-athlete alumni, friends and businesses. Each year more than 9,200 individuals make the commitment to be members of the Virginia Athletics Foundation. The financial investment of VAF members helps position our teams to successfully compete in the ACC and on the national stage.
Your gift to the Annual Fund supports athletics scholarships, the academic experience of student-athletes and sport-specific operational budgets. In 2016, VAF raised $17.3 million in its Annual Fund with the support of 9,256 donors. The average gift to the Annual Fund was $1,863. These donations funded 96 percent of the athletics scholarship expense with endowment distributions funding the remainder. The growth of the Annual Fund is critical to funding scholarships in the future.
Our Annual Fund goal in 2017 is to raise $19.2 million and to increase our membership to 10,000 members. While a minimum gift is required to receive select benefits, any gift of any size makes a difference. Please refer to the 2017 VAF Guide to Member Benefits for more benefit details.
Unrestricted: Unrestricted gifts donated to the Annual Fund will be used where most needed and include scholarship and academic support for all 27 sports.
Friends Of: Donors wishing to support a specific sport have the option to allocate their gift to a Friends Of program. This is a critical component in meeting the operational budget needs as well as scholarship costs for specific sports within the athletics department. As revenue producing sports, football and men’s basketball do not have Friends Of programs.
Ways to Support the Annual Fund: A gift can be designated unrestricted, Friends Of or a combination of both.
SCHOLARSHIPS
The primary focus of the VAF Annual Fund is to pay for 316.6 scholarships, the maximum allowed by the NCAA for UVA’s 27 sports. All scholarships allowed by the NCAA are fully funded through a combination of donations to the Annual Fund and endowment distributions. As in-state and out-of-state tuition costs rise each year, so do scholarship costs.
2017-2018 Estimated Scholarship Costs
In-State: $31,218
Out-of-State: $62,315
Note: A generous gift from an anonymous donor provides funding for the men’s and women’s squash programs, including support for scholarships, annual operational funds and facility enhancements through an endowment.
Future fundraising, led by University Advancement, in partnership with Friends of Virginia Squash, will ensure all expenses for both squash programs will be covered. To make a Friends of Virginia Squash gift, visit https://aig.alumni.virginia.edu/virginiasquash/support/donate.
“I’m incredibly excited and proud to be a part of a community where excellence and hard work are valued both in the classroom and on the football field.”
WIL WAHEE
2015 UVA Arts & Sciences
2016 UVA Masters of Education
We need your support to reach our goal and give UVA student-athletes the opportunity for academic and athletic success.
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
The vision for Athletics Academic Affairs is to develop and empower all UVA student-athletes to become independent lifelong learners and productive citizens by providing comprehensive and collaborative academic support services. The staff is dedicated to providing support and resources such as:
Academic Coordinators and a Learning Specialist that collaborate with faculty, deans, advisors and other University personnel who are committed to the academic success of student-athletes.
Access to tutors and support during periods of away travel.
Access to computer labs and printers.
Degree Completion Program that provides student-athlete alumni who pursue professional athletics careers prior to graduation the opportunity to return to finish their degrees.
“From tutoring to preparing for life after sport and graduation, Athletics Academic Affairs provides a wonderful opportunity for all student-athletes to succeed during their time at UVA and in the next chapter of their life.”
ALI ZWICKER
2017 UVA Arts & Sciences
French Language and Literature major
Athletics Academic Affairs provides support and
resources to our student-athletes.
OPERATIONAL BUDGET SUPPORT
Annual operational budget support for each of the University’s 14 women’s and 13 men’s sports is provided through a combination of athletics department funds and donor contributions. This includes but is not limited to recruiting costs, team travel and equipment. The support of VAF donors directly impacts the University’s Olympic sports teams each year by relieving pressure on the annual budget and allowing the department to expand what coaches feel is necessary to compete for an NCAA championship.
For example, operational support allows teams such as softball to maintain a competitive schedule by traveling to the West Coast each season. In colder weather months, rowing has the opportunity to travel to Florida for outdoor training and competition. Recently Virginia Wrestling’s training facility was aesthetically transformed, instilling a strong sense of pride in UVA wrestlers. In Coach Steve Garland’s words, “We are standing on the shoulders of those who have come before us and I think the graphics will honor the legacy of past UVA wrestling greats for years to come.”
“The new graphics in the wrestling room give our team a visual representation of what we work hard for every day. Seeing the success of our past teams and teammates gives us great motivation to go the extra mile to achieve what they have.”
WILL SCHANY
RS Junior, UVA Wrestling
Friends Of contributions help UVA student-athletes and coaches be in a position to pursue Uncompromised Excellence in competition and in the classroom.
THANK YOU DONORS!
“I am eternally grateful for the generous donations of the VAF. Without their selflessness and dedication to our University, I would not be able to enjoy the many benefits and opportunities the University of Virginia has to offer!”
ALIYAH HULAND EL
2018 UVA Education
Kinesiology major
“It is a great honor for me to have received The Downing Family Endowed Tennis and Leadership Scholarship. I know the donors who made this possible, Andy and Cheri Downing, and having their support is incredible for the men’s tennis program and for me personally.”
THAI-SON KWIATKOWSKI
2017 UVA Commerce
