The UH athletics department received a $10 million pledge to support its plans for constructing a new Football Development Center, it announced on Friday morning.
The donation was made through the athletic department’s Houston Rise campaign, started for the preparation leading up to the University’s highly anticipated move to the Big 12 Conference on July 1, 2023.
The eight-figure gift, sourced by an anonymous donor, is by far the biggest donation to date since the launch of the Houston Rise fundraising campaign.
“This incredibly generous gift brings us one step closer to a new home for Houston Football as we continue to invest in and strengthen all of our athletics programs,” said UH president Renu Khator.
A focus on building a Football Development Center for UH Athletics was centered on the program’s lack thereof, which after the announcement of the program’s move to the Big 12, left UH as the only school in the new picture without such a state-of-the-art facility.
Houston Rise’s goal of $150 million is still yet to be reached, but the $10 million donation announced by the program Friday is a large boost in the momentum towards reaching its goal.
“I hope this gift of $10 million inspires us all,” Khator said. “I just want to say thank you so much for anybody that has given, but it’s about time for those of you who are sitting on the fence to really come forward and be a part of this new story and new chapter we are riding.”