YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN
Student-athletes are attracted to Carolina because of what our University represents – the opportunity to enjoy a collegiate experience athletically, academically, and socially that will impact them for the rest of their lives. You give the opportunity for the best student-athletes to attend the best university, compete in the best facilities, and play for the best coaches at the highest level of competition in all 28 of our varsity sports.
Rams Club members champion these student-athletes by providing the opportunity to meet immediate needs and securing the future of Carolina Athletics.
GROWING THE TEAM
Carolina has long prided itself on offering a broad-based program that focuses on maximizing opportunities for outstanding young men and women to be a part of the Carolina Family. The challenges in keeping that commitment are significant but can be met with the help of all Carolina fans through Rams Club membership.
WINNING IN AN UNCERTAIN ENVIRONMENT
It is essential for Carolina to have flexible funding to provide critical resources for all 28 of our sports and to maintain our high standard of excellence for such a broad-based program. These initiatives are in place to ensure Carolina Athletics remains adaptable, competitive, and sustainable.
SECURING THE FOUNDATION
Scholarships are the foundation of the Carolina student-athlete experience. The Scholarship Endowment helps ensure our coaches have the ability to bring the best student-athletes to Chapel Hill. Gifts to the endowment provide aspiring student-athletes from every background the opportunity to receive a UNC education and fulfill their dream of competing in Carolina blue.
MAKING AN IMPACT
Sports Operating Endowments and Friends giving offer donors long- and short-term opportunities to support teams by having the flexibility and autonomy needed to compete at the highest level. Team support also provides leadership and career development resources within the Richard A. Baddour Carolina Leadership Academy, as well as Mental Health and Wellness resources to prioritize the wellbeing of student-athletes.
BUILDING FOR CHAMPIONS
A top-level student-athlete experience calls for facilities which allow our student-athletes to train and develop to the best of their abilities. New and upgraded facilities are a crucial part of recruiting for coaches. Several projects currently have active fundraising campaigns.
ANNUAL FUND
Every Carolina fan can be a part of providing athletic and educational opportunities to student-athletes.
As a part of The Rams Club, every member helps Carolina Athletics meet its most pressing needs. A broad-based annual membership program is imperative to the future of Carolina Athletics. Whether you give $100 or $50,000 annually, we need you to be a part of our effort to ensure the success of our 28-team program and the opportunities it provides to Tar Heel student-athletes.
Donors to the Annual Fund have an immediate impact on Carolina student-athletes with their gifts, sustaining the athletics scholarship program and meeting many other critical needs of Carolina Athletics today.
Gifts to the Annual Fund bolster the annual yield, which helps offset the rapid increase in scholarship costs and ensures the viability of our broad-based, 28-team athletic program - a hallmark of Carolina’s athletic identity.
CAROLINA ATHLETICS EXCELLENCE INITIATIVES
The Carolina Athletics Excellence Fund and John & Sharie Montgomery Excellence Endowment provide unrestricted funding to ensure one of the best sports programs in the country has the agility and flexibility to create an exceptional student-athlete experience, while remaining championship-focused in a dynamic environment.
The Carolina Athletics Excellence Fund ensures resources are immediately available to address today’s needs. A robust Excellence Fund enables Carolina to respond swiftly to current challenges as well as seize emerging opportunities.
The John & Sharie Montgomery Excellence Endowment provides a long-term funding solution with critical, built-in flexibility to address future needs. The annual yield from this endowment will be used to cover any scholarship deficit beyond what the Scholarship Endowment Trust supports and to provide a flexible resource to answer the challenges and opportunities presented to Carolina Athletics in the years ahead.
These adaptable funding mechanisms will allow The Rams Club to continue to be scholarship first, and they will also fund key areas important to maintaining a high level of excellence by:
Meeting the changing needs in a dynamic environment with new challenges and opportunities
Enhancing support services like academic programs and mental health & wellness resources
Investing in coaching talent and leadership development
Providing state-of-the-art facilities, complete with cutting edge tools and technology
The Excellence Fund allows designation of your gift to Football, Men’s Basketball, or in general support of all Carolina sports (including Football and Men’s Basketball).
SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT
2016 $20,906 IN-STATE SCHOLARSHIP $45,988 OUT-OF-STATE SCHOLARSHIP
2026 $24,838 IN-STATE SCHOLARSHIP $60,970 OUT-OF-STATE SCHOLARSHIP
The Educational Foundation Scholarship Endowment is the lifeblood of Carolina Athletics. Endowed scholarship donors provide critical, long-term support for Carolina’s athletic scholarship program. These generous donors give the opportunity for more than 600 gifted student-athletes annually to gain a world-class education while competing for one of the nation’s top athletics programs.
Endowed scholarship donors can name a new scholarship (or honor someone of their choice) or add to an existing scholarship.
Figures represent tuition, room, board, books, and fees. Final scholarship figures for individual student-athletes may vary.
“THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA HAS BEEN EVERYTHING I HOPED IT WOULD BE, THANKS IN LARGE PART TO THE RAMS CLUB AND ITS SUPPORT OF STUDENTATHLETES. I’VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO GROW IN SO MANY AREAS DURING MY COLLEGIATE JOURNEY, BOTH ON THE FIELD AND OFF, AND I’M SO GRATEFUL TO EVERYONE WHO POURS INTO THE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN ON OUR CAMPUS.”
KAIMON RUCKER FOOTBALL ‘24
TEAM OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
Team support encompasses gifts to any of Carolina’s team operating endowments, “friends” accounts, and the Richard A. Baddour Carolina Leadership Academy.
Each sports program at Carolina has its own operating endowment. The annual yield from these endowments is made available to the coach to help meet specific needs not covered in the regular operating budget. Individual sport operating endowments allow donors to help their favorite teams make short-term program enhancements, while also securing the future success of each program.
Team support also includes gifts to “friends” accounts, which provide an immediate increase to coaches’ operating budgets to use at their discretion.
Lastly, team support includes gifts to provide resources that prioritize the well-being of Tar Heel student-athletes. This includes mental health and wellness resources, and the Richard A. Baddour Carolina Leadership Academy, which develops, challenges, and supports student-athletes, coaches, and staff in their quest to become world-class leaders in athletics, academics, and life.
YOU GIVE THE GIFT OF OPPORTUNITY
FACILITIES
Some of Carolina’s most storied programs look to take the next step in pursuit of championships with updated facilities. Rams Club members play a pivotal role in providing Carolina’s world-class student-athletes with top-tier facilities to prepare, compete, and represent Carolina.
Carolina Athletics and The Rams Club are undergoing important facility projects that directly impact many of Carolina’s 28 sport programs. Current projects under construction include renovations to Finley Team Building and Chewning Tennis Center.
In addition to these active construction sites, many facility projects have been completed in recent years, including:
Baseball MLB Visitor’s Locker Room
Bill Koman Practice Complex
Eddie Smith Fieldhouse
Football Sports Medicine and The Rodney M. Long Players Lounge
Gymnastics Practice Facility
Karen Shelton Stadium
Men’s Basketball Locker Suite
Softball Hitting Facility
Volleyball Locker Room
Women’s Basketball Locker Room & Office Suite
Koury Natatorium Locker Room Renovation
With outstanding debt remaining, funding and naming opportunities are still available on some recently completed projects including:
Football Projects:
Kenan Sports Medicine and The Rodney M. Long Player’s Lounge
Locker Room & Weight Room
Kenan Turf
Bill Koman Practice Complex
Karen Shelton Stadium
Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium
Track & Field Complex
Finley Golf Course Renovation
ACTIVE FACILITY CAMPAIGNS
FINLEY TEAM BUILDING
PHASE 1 COMPLETED • PHASE 2 COST: $13.9M
Carolina Men’s and Women’s Golf teams are enjoying an updated course layout at Finley Golf Course, as well as a new practice area. Phase 2, together with the recent improvements, will give the Tar Heels one of the best golf facilities in the country.
Phase 2 broke ground in fall 2025. The new team building will include upgraded locker rooms with lounges, hitting bays, a video capture bay, a simulation area, offices, study areas, and an open-to-the-public lobby featuring historical memorabilia from Carolina Golf. Several naming opportunities are available.
“THIS PROJECT IS EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT FOR CAROLINA GOLF, MOST IMPORTANTLY FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE STUDENT-ATHLETES, WHO HAVE BEEN THE FOCAL POINT OF EVERY DECISION THAT’S BEEN MADE. IT’S FITTING THIS PROJECT FEATURES TAR HEELS OF THE PAST HELPING TO SHAPE CURRENT AND FUTURE TAR HEELS.”
PHASE 1 OF THE CHEWNING TENNIS CENTER OFFERS:
• Twelve outstanding competition and practice courts
• Modern scoring, PA system, live streaming, and other technology capabilities
• New fan amenities: chair back seating, concessions, restrooms, and awnings for shade
A potential phase 2 of Chewning Tennis Center renovations would include a new team building that offers a range of amenities for student-athletes, coaches, and fans.
CHEWNING TENNIS CENTER
PHASE 1 COST: $18.9M
The new Chewning Tennis Center creates an environment which maximizes the potential for student-athlete success and recruiting by including championship courts, seating, and amenities that reflect the University’s status as a leader in collegiate tennis. The facility is a venue that will be sought after by players, spectators, the ACC, and the NCAA for hosting competitions and events.
“THIS STADIUM RECOGNIZES THE SUCCESS WE’VE ENJOYED 0VER THE YEARS AND WAS THE ONE MAJOR ITEM MISSING FROM OUR PROGRAM. WE CAN NOW OFFER A WORLD-CLASS EXPERIENCE FOR OUR PLAYERS AND A COMFORTABLE AND STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY FOR FANS TO ENJOY HIGH-CLASS TENNIS.”
Champions. Legends. Leaders.
VISION
The rich history of Carolina women’s athletics boasts 47 national championships, 44 individual national champions and numerous conference championships. Equally impressive are the career paths forged by our women student-athlete alumnae.
From doctors to CEOs to teachers and professional athletes, Carolina women have demonstrated time and again that their accomplishments in competition are just the beginning of their impact at Carolina and beyond.
The Rams Club and Carolina Athletics aim to engage and activate a network of Tar Heels that will:
• Offer opportunities to outstanding young women student-athletes to be part of the Carolina Family.
• Provide resources for Carolina’s women’s sport programs to ensure success.
• Participate in the development of student-athlete leaders who will impact their communities.
FORevHER TAR HEELS FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
FORevHER Tar Heels enhances the Carolina student-athlete experience by giving supporters the chance to invest their talents and resources in a student-athlete’s life during a transformational time. The Rams Club offers areas of focus which will directly impact women’s teams at Carolina.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarships are the foundation of the Carolina student-athlete experience. The Scholarship Endowment ensures our coaches can recruit the best student-athletes in the country.
FORevHER TAR HEELS EXCELLENCE FUND
The FORevHER Tar Heels Excellence Fund enriches a student-athlete’s experience by building on the valuable life skills developed through team sports, such as time management, decision-making, leadership, and teamwork.
FACILITIES
New and upgraded facilities are a crucial part of recruiting for coaches. A gift to a facility project ensures Carolina will continue to provide the tools for our student-athletes to excel as competitors, leaders, and champions.
OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
Each team has its own operating endowment. These endowments help individual programs achieve the flexibility and autonomy they need to take advantage of unique opportunities in their sport. The yield from these endowments is made available to the coach to help meet specific needs not covered in the regular operating budget.
WAYS TO GIVE
Rams Club members participate in a variety of ways, including as annual members and through special gifts
to a project or campaign. How they make that gift can vary as well – and several options exist for making a gift of great impact for the student-athletes and ease for the donor.
Existing members can login to their account at any time to make secure gifts, check account status, update contact information, make a new pledge, or access their GoHeels ticket account. New members may also join online.
Existing and new members can make a gift by check. All checks should be made to The Educational Foundation, Inc., indicating what the gift should be applied to, and mailed to The Rams Club office.
Enjoy the ease of making your gift in monthly installments or at the same time each year by setting up a bank account or credit card draft. Setting up a draft ensures your account will always stay active and never lapse accidentally.
PLEDGES
You may make a pledge over five years for any gift (excluding Annual Fund memberships) of $1,000 or more.
PLANNED GIVING
You can create your own Carolina Athletics legacy through a planned gift – and ensure that your support of Tar Heel student-athletes continues beyond your own lifetime. Your gift can impact student-athletes for generations to come and may also provide you with tax benefits today and in your estate while providing great benefits to you and your family.
Several types of planned gifts that can benefit you and Tar Heel student-athletes are listed below, and more options may be available depending on your interests and financial goals. If you or your financial advisor need more information, please reach out to Beth MacKethan (919.843.6448, beth@ramsclub.com).
PLANNED
GIFTS
Estate/Planned gifts are a great way to make a gift in support of student-athletes that lasts beyond your lifetime. More information on planned gifts is to the right. To learn more, please contact Beth MacKethan at 919.843.6448 or beth@ramsclub.com.
STOCK & WIRE TRANSFERS
You may make your gift in support of studentathletes through payroll deduction direct from your employer. For more information or to set up this gift, please call The Rams Club offices at 919.843.2000.
MATCHING GIFTS
You can make a gift by donating stock or making a direct wire transfer. To learn how, please contact Jason Steinberg at 919.843.6440 or jason@ramsclub.com.
Some employers will match the charitable gifts of their employees. To find out if your employer will match gifts to The Rams Club, please contact your employer’s human resources department.
TYPES OF PLANNED GIFTS
BEQUEST
CAROLINA GIFT ANNUITY
CHARITABLE REMAINDER UNITRUST
DONOR-ADVISED FUND
LIFE INSURANCE
RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS
REAL PROPERTY NON-CASH ASSETS
“RAMS CLUB MEMBERS ARE THE TEAM COMMITTED TO PROVIDING THE RESOURCES FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES TO COMPETE FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS AND GRADUATE FROM THIS GREAT UNIVERSITY, AND FOR CAROLINA TO CONTINUE ITS TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE.”
BUBBA CUNNINGHAM DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
