The Annual Fund includes gifts made by University of Virginia fans including alumni, student-athlete alumni, friends, and businesses. In 2023, more than 9,500 individuals made the commitment to be members of the Virginia Athletics Foundation (VAF). 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 2023, VAF raised more than $19.8 million in its Annual Fund. These donations, along with endowment distributions, fund all athletic scholarships. The growth of the Annual Fund is critical to funding scholarships in the future.
While a minimum gift is required to receive select benefits, any gift of any size makes a difference. Please refer to the Guide to Giving tab for more benefit details.
Unrestricted: Unrestricted gifts donated to the Annual Fund will be used where most needed and include scholarship and academic support.
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 25 NCAA-sanctioned teams. We are committed to fully funding all scholarships, sport specific operations, and additional costs for student-athletes. 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.
2023-24 Scholarship Costs*
In-State: $37,756
Out-of-State: $76,083
*Based on 1st year College of Arts and Sciences attendance costs
| NCAA # Scholarships Maximum | Estimated Scholaship Cost 2023* | |
| Men’s Baseball | 11.7 | $692,883 |
| Men’s Basketball | 13 | $1,149,710 |
| Men’s Football | 85 | $7,058,735 |
| Men’s Golf | 4.5 | $275,933 |
| Men’s Track and Field & Cross Country | 12.6 | $923,167 |
| Men’s Lacrosse | 12.6 | $806,494 |
| Men’s Soccer | 9.9 | $838,051 |
| Men’s Swimming and Diving | 9.9 | $770,020 |
| Men’s Tennis | 4.5 | $360,668 |
| Men’s Wrestling | 9.9 | $720,276 |
| SUBTOTAL MEN’S | 173.6 | $13,718,174 |
| Women’s Basketball | 15 | $1,061,848 |
| Women’s Field Hockey | 12 | $947,760 |
| Women’s Golf | 6 | $498,682 |
| Women’s Track and Field & Cross Country | 18 | $1,174,339 |
| Women’s Lacrosse | 12 | $674,928 |
| Women’s Rowing | 20 | $1,451,047 |
| Women’s Soccer | 14 | $1,029,093 |
| Women’s Softball | 12 | $787,230 |
| Women’s Swimming and Diving | 14 | $1,084,361 |
| Women’s Tennis | 8 | $623,887 |
| Women’s Volleyball | 12 | $1,198,650 |
| SUBTOTAL WOMEN’S | 143 | $10,531,826 |
| Total | 316.6 | $24,250,000 |
*includes summer school
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, click here.
“MY SCHOLARSHIP CHANGED MY LIFE AND MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO ATTEND MY DREAM SCHOOL, WHERE I’LL RECEIVE A TOP-NOTCH COLLEGE EDUCATION THAT WILL BENEFIT ME FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. I’M GRATEFUL FOR THE HIGH STANDARDS TO WHICH UVA STUDENT-ATHLETES ARE HELD FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES TO FORGE STRONG CONNECTIONS WITH ALUMNI.”
SCOTT BOWER | Dallas, TX
Men’s Lacrosse
“I AM SO BLESSED TO RECEIVE THE LEROY AND BETTY STRICKLER SCHOLARSHIP AND VERY GRATEFUL TO THE DONORS FOR MAKING IT ALL POSSIBLE! BECAUSE OF THEIR APPRECIATION, I AM ABLE TO PLAY THE SPORT I LOVE AND OBTAIN A WONDERFUL EDUCATION. I TRULY APPRECIATE THE CONTINUED SUPPORT!”
MIR MCLEAN | Baltimore, MD
Women’s Basketball
We need your support to reach our goal and give UVA student-athletes the opportunity for academic and athletic success.
“I AM EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO BE A SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A STUDENT-ATHLETE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA. I HAVE CHERISHED THE LIFE LESSONS AND EXPERIENCES THAT HAVE SHAPED MY GROWTH AS A WOMAN IN SPORTS.”
KIKI SHAW | Owings Mills, Md.
Women’s Lacrosse
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 to maintain a competitive schedule by funding travel. 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.”
“IT IS AN HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE TO BE A SCHOLAR ATHLETE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA. THIS INSTITUTION DEMONSTRATES COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM AND THE PLAYING FIELD, AND IT IS AN HONOR TO WEAR THE V-SABRE EVERY DAY.”
COLIN TUFT | Vienna, VA
Baseball
Friends Of contributions help UVA student-athletes and coaches be in a position to pursue excellence in competition and in the classroom.
Thank you, VAF donors!
“WHEN I RECEIVED A SCHOLARSHIP TO UVA, I KNEW IT WOULD BE A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO IMMERSE MYSELF IN THE COMMUNITY AND I AM SO THANKFUL TO SUPPORTERS OF THE VAF AND THE ROLE THEY PLAY IN MAKING THIS POSSIBLE. I’M PRIVILEGED TO REPRESENT THIS GREAT UNIVERSITY, PURSUE MY ACADEMIC CAREER HERE, AND PERFORM AT THE DIVISION 1 LEVEL.”
RYAN DUNN | Freeport, NY
Men’s Basketball
“I WILL FOREVER BE THANKFUL TO THE VAF DONORS WHO HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO COME TO UVA ALL THE WAY FROM ITALY. THE ATMOSPHERE YOU EXPERIENCE WALKING AROUND GROUNDS IS MOTIVATION TO STRIVE FOR MORE IN WHATEVER IT IS YOU ARE DOING. IT IS HARD NOT TO BE INSPIRED IN A PLACE LIKE THIS AND BEING ABOUT TO DO WHAT I LOVE THE MOST EVERY DAY IS PRICELESS.”
SARA ZIODATO | Trieste, Italy
Women’s Tennis