THE VAF TODAY

Our Mission:  The Virginia Athletics Foundation (VAF), through its fundraising efforts, strives to support a preeminent intercollegiate athletics program at the University of Virginia by providing student-athletes the opportunity to achieve academic and athletic excellence.

DEAR CAVALIER FANS,

I am humbled by the generosity of our loyal donors. 2022 was a challenging year, but with your support UVA Athletics achieved many successes, including a second-consecutive National Championships in Women’s Swimming and Diving and another in Men’s Tennis, four ACC Championships, and recognition of 465 ACC Honor Roll student-athletes in the spring semester.

More than 9,300 donors donated over $19.7 million to the Annual Fund, which helped us fund athletics scholarships, academic support, and a portion of sport-specific operating costs. In addition, due to the generosity of many, we were able to break ground on the Football Operations Center and donors created 16 new endowed scholarships that also qualified for matching funds from the University Bicentennial Scholars Fund. Your support helped our student-athletes succeed in the classroom, in competition, and in the community.

As we begin another calendar year, we look for your renewed commitment, especially with our 2023 Annual Fund. As the landscape of collegiate athletics continues to evolve, the funds required to field a nationally competitive athletics program increase. This includes increased in-state and out-of-state tuition and operational and academic needs. Your gift to the Annual Fund is critically important to our competitive success.

Our newest initiative, the Cavalier Academic Achievement Fund, is a direct result of the ever-changing collegiate athletics ecosystem. Established in 2022 as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in NCAA v. Alston, this decision allows all institutions the ability to reward student-athletes for academic achievement up to $5,980 annually. These awards support the academic pursuits of our student-athletes but having the funds to make these awards is paramount to the recruiting efforts of our coaches.

We are deeply grateful to our donors and hope you will join us again in 2023 as we look forward to our student-athletes’ continued successes as they compete at the highest level.

On behalf of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff, thank you for your support.

Go Hoos!

DIRK P. KATSTRA
Executive Director

DONOR SUPPORT

Scholarships

All scholarships allowed by the NCAA are fully funded through a combination of donations to the Annual Fund and endowment distributions.  Learn More

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.  Learn More

Friends Of

Annual operational 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.  Learn More

Sport Enhancement Funds

Beginning in 2021, the Coaches 10 fundraising efforts will be renamed to Sport Enhancement Funds to provide a more descriptive name for the use of the funds. The Sport Enhancement Funds will continue to provide funding for needs identified by the head coach with approval from his/her sport administrator and athletics administration.  Learn More

Endowment

An endowment gift is one of the most powerful gifts a donor can make to Virginia Athletics. Scholarship Endowments support the 316.6 athletic scholarships allowed by the NCAA and Operational Endowments serve as an ongoing source of financial support for a designated team. Learn More

Facilities

The needs of individual sports are prioritized through coaches’ discussions with athletics administrators. Once an identified facility project has gone through the University’s approval process, the athletics department depends on the Virginia Athletics Foundation to raise the funds to finance the project and provide an endowment to support its operation and ongoing maintenance. Learn More

Cavalier Academic Achievement Fund

The fund was established in 2022 following the U.S. Supreme Court’s NCAA v. Alston decision, which allows all institutions the opportunity to award student-athletes up to $5,980 annually each for academic achievements, requiring an annual investment of $1.9 million. Learn More

Today there are 750 student-athletes in 27 intercollegiate programs at the University of Virginia. Our generous donors help to fully fund all 316.6 scholarships allowed by the NCAA, the student-athlete academic experience and a portion of the athletics operational budget, that includes recruiting costs, team travel, and equipment. Thank you!