UA Alums Make $25M Gift for Matching Challenge
- February 26th, 2024
- in Giving
Supporters of The University of Alabama now have a unique opportunity to double their charitable investments in UA endowments following an unprecedented $25 million matching gift commitment from UA alumni Mike and Kathy Mouron.
Qualifying gifts to endowments through the Mike and Kathy Mouron Rising Tide Matching Gift Challenge will be matched dollar for dollar through a planned gift from the Mourons’ estate.
“This generous gift from Mike and Kathy Mouron is the latest testament to their passion and commitment to supporting excellence at their alma mater,” UA President Stuart R. Bell said. “This is an incredible opportunity for our alumni and supporters to strengthen existing endowments, create new ones and enhance their legacies at the Capstone.”
The Mourons, co-chairs of The Rising Tide Capital Campaign, said their decision to fund a matching gift challenge aligned with the priorities for the capital campaign and they’re honored to fulfill that need for the University.
“We believe there is wisdom in the expression, ‘to whom much is given much is expected’ – and we have certainly been given a great deal,” Mike Mouron said. “That said, one receives incredible emotional satisfaction in charitable gifting to worthwhile causes of some capital earned during a lifetime of hard work.
“We are graduates and advocates of The University of Alabama, and we can enthusiastically support many of the vast number of programs and initiatives offered on campus. Structuring our gift to the University as an integral component of our estate planning was an easy decision for us and one we would recommend others consider.”
Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UA, and Kathy is an alumna in special education. They reside in Mountain Brook and have made significant philanthropic investments to the Capstone, including the lead gift that funded the construction of the Stran-Hardin Arena for the UA Adapted Athletics program. Mike and Kathy were recognized as the William M. and Virginia B. Spencer Outstanding Philanthropists for 2022 by the Alabama Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals based in Birmingham.
Like the Mourons’ steadfast support of UA, the matching gift challenge will have a far-reaching impact across campus; donors can support eight types of endowments in seven colleges and 15 different programs and units.
The Rising Tide Capital Campaign
The Rising Tide Capital Campaign, launched publicly in September 2021, has raised nearly $1.49 billion of its $1.5 billion goal with more than two years left and is the most successful capital campaign for any institution in higher education in the State of Alabama. To date, almost 960 endowed scholarships, 60 endowed faculty support funds and more than 500,000 square feet of campus facilities have been supported by nearly 162,000 donors.
The announcement of the matching gift challenge is the latest milestone in this historic campaign. On Jan. 19, the University celebrated the ceremonial opening of the Catherine and Pettus Randall Welcome Center, a reimagining and renovation of the Bryce Main property that serves as the new home for UA’s undergraduate admissions and as the starting point for campus tours. In October 2023, UA broke ground on the Smith Family Center for the Performing Arts, a cutting-edge facility that’s part of nearly 118,000 square feet of renovation and additions at Bryce Main.