An endowment gift is one of the most powerful gifts a donor can make to Virginia Athletics. Endowed funds provide a lasting source of support for Virginia Athletics. Gifts can be made to establish endowed scholarship funds or sport-specific operational funds to assist with annual budgetary needs.

Scholarship Endowments

The Virginia Athletics Foundation (VAF) is responsible for raising the necessary funds to support all 316.6 athletics scholarships allowed by the NCAA. Distributions from Scholarship endowments provide approximately 25% of the funding each year for student-athlete scholarships.

For that reason, philanthropic support is crucial to the ongoing success of our sports. The University of Virginia’s ability to offer robust scholarships is vital to attract the best student-athletes, and it is essential if we are to continue competing for conference and national championships while maintaining elite academic standards. More significantly, athletic scholarships provide life-changing opportunities for student-athletes to pursue excellence in competition, in the classroom, and in service to the broader community.

The University has created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for donors to amplify their impact through the UVA Bicentennial Scholars Fund, which makes a 50 percent match on gifts of $100,000 or more that are fully paid within five years for new endowments to support scholarships.

Gifts to establish endowed scholarships are invested and an annual distribution is used to provide funding for designated scholarship recipients. Gifts can be made at any level to the scholarship endowments, but only gifts of $100,000 or more are eligible for the UVA Bicentennial Scholars Fund match.

An endowed scholarship recognition wall is located in John Paul Jones Arena and in Bryant Hall. The VAF works with the Virginia Athletics administration and UVA head coaches to recognize deserving student-athletes who meet the criteria of each of our named scholarships.

Operational Endowments

Like an endowed scholarship, an operational endowment provides an ongoing source of financial support for the designated team. Gifts to an operational endowment are invested and an annual distribution is used to assist in the funding of the designated team’s budget. Naming opportunities begin at $50,000 but gifts of any size can be made toward operational endowments. Contact the VAF at 434.982.5555 or 800.626.8723 for more information

When a scholarship or operational gift is made to the endowment, the Foundation invests it with the University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO) for long-term growth. The earnings generated by the investments are used to support the scholarship or operational needs in the area that the donor chooses to endow.