GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gator Boosters announced it has raised $491.6 million since 2014 – surpassing the organization’s initial $355 million goal – as the University of Florida celebrates the culmination of its eight-year Go Greater fundraising campaign.
The Campaign, which will continue to count gifts and contributions until Dec. 31, 2022, has supported the University Athletic Association Facilities Master Plan, Athletic Scholarship Endowment, and Program Support.
“We are so thankful for the support and generosity of the Gator Nation,” said Athletics Director Scott Stricklin. “The commitment of our passionate and invested fan base continues to position our entire program to be one of best in the nation as evidence by our 13-straight top-five finishes in national all sports rankings. From facilities, individual programs and scholarship endowments they ensure that our student-athletes have the opportunity to compete for championships and receive a degree from a top-five academic institution.”
The campaign has supported multiple projects in the Facilities Master Plan, including the development of the Condron Family Ballpark and Heavener Football Training Facility, and the renovations of the O’Connell Center, Hawkins Center at Farrior Hall, Condron Family Indoor Practice Facility, and Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
“It’s amazing to me how our Boosters stepped up during the Campaign and helped us exceed what we thought was an aggressive goal at the beginning of the Campaign, said Executive Director of Gator Boosters Phil Pharr. “We’re blessed to have a championship athletic program backed up by championship support and I couldn’t be prouder of what was accomplished.”
Due to the support throughout the campaign, programs such as the celebrated success of the 50-Year Anniversary of Florida Women’s Athletics<https://floridagators.com/news/2022/6/23/general-50-year-anniversary-of-florida-womens-athletics.aspx> and the Mike Ricketts GatorMade program, an initiative developing Gators beyond the football field and providing them with the necessary skills to succeed in life, have been made possible.
Funds raised during the campaign also aid scholarship endowment, including the Leonard George and Willie Jackson, Sr. Scholarship Endowment, a football scholarship created by former Gator players that has reached a milestone of $50,000.
Gator Boosters, which is the fundraising arm of the Gators’ Athletics Department, received 277,859 gifts from its 12,000-plus membership during the campaign. Gator Boosters is coming off a record fundraising year in 2021-22, totaling $85.3 million in gifts. The previous record was $67.7 million in 2014-15.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA’S GO GREATER CAMPAIGN
In the eight-year Go Greater Campaign, more than 620,000 Gators made contributions to the University totaling over $4.5 billion during the campaign, significantly more than the original $3 billion goal. Go Greater’s grand total is the fifth-largest ever raised at a public university, the largest in the history of the state of Florida and the highest among SEC schools. It is the fourth campaign in UF’s 169-year history.
In all, Go Greater garnered almost 1 million unique gifts, while UF’s annual alumni giving rate — a major factor when calculating overall rankings — climbed to 20%, one of the highest in academia. Along the way, UF’s donors established almost 200 new endowed faculty positions, added 600 scholarships and created 15 new teaching and learning centers.
