Back-to-Back Historic Years For Cal Athletics

With the 2025-26 year at an end, Cal Athletics reflects on a year of tremendous change and growth as the department positions itself toward even greater successes and expanded opportunities to serve its student-athletes. The Cal family's generosity and steadfast commitment to student-athletes has helped them compete, excel and represent Cal with pride during a time of unprecedented change in collegiate athletics. Because of this support, Cal is well positioned to build on this momentum and continue creating exceptional opportunities for its student-athletes in the seasons ahead. 

From July 2025 through June 2026, the generosity and collective commitment of the Cal family made an extraordinary impact on Cal Athletics. In total, Cal Athletics received $88.5 million in gifts and pledges, surpassing last year's department record of $82 million. The Cal community's support was especially transformative in meeting the daily needs of our student-athletes with more than $40.6 million directed toward operational expenses across all sports programs. This critical support ensures Cal student-athletes have access to the coaching, training, academic services, travel, nutrition and other essential resources they need to compete and thrive at the highest level. 

Significant impact was made this year, with 18 donors pledging $1 million or more to the department — the most in Cal Athletics history. The Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund committed $10 million to establish a dedicated practice facility for Cal men's and women's basketball, an endeavor which was further supported by a $1 million donation from Mark '83 and Lori '84 Edelstone. Additionally, multiple anonymous gifts were made — $10.5 million and $6.5 million to football, $2 million to men's basketball and $2.6 million to women's basketball.   

Several Cal programs received transformative investments toward their long-term endowment goals, with gifts totaling $18.3 million. These included Stacy Savides '85's $3 million gift to endow the women's tennis head coaching position, Tom Shaffer '79's leadership gift in support of Cal field hockey, the Rogers Family Foundation's $2.5 million gift in support of Cal men's crew, and two significant gifts were made anonymously to endow the assistant coach positions for Cal men's soccer. 

The momentum continued with four tremendously successful crowdfunding campaigns, which kicked off with the inaugural "Go for Gold" initiative followed by Cal football's Fight for California campaign, the university's annual Big Give and Cal men's basketball's Fight for California effort. In total, these four fundraising events raised more than $5.3 million in operational funds from more than 3,600 donors. 

Additionally, Cal has made remarkable progress in supporting the new revenue-sharing model, demonstrating significant momentum from 2024-25 to 2025-26. Last year, Cal Athletics raised $6.8 million across football, men's basketball and women's basketball as part of the Fight for California initiative. Support accelerated dramatically in 2025-26, with $30.6 million raised for this initiative — a remarkable 342% increase. This unprecedented growth reflects the unwavering commitment of Cal's donors and supporters to investing in the success of its student-athletes and ensuring the department remains positioned to compete at the highest level. 

Equally important has been the Cal community's collective investment in creating Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) opportunities for Cal student-athletes. Cal-affiliated companies have supported these efforts, directly fueling a modern, competitive approach to roster construction and talent acquisition.

With heartfelt gratitude for the extraordinary generosity of the Cal community, Cal Athletics looks ahead to the upcoming academic year with bold ambitions and an energized momentum. Thanks to the unwavering support of donors, alumni and fans, the future is bright for the California Golden Bears.