If there was any doubt that Texas Longhorns fans want to support a winner, look at how much money the Longhorn Foundation raked in last year.
A record 24,996 Longhorn Foundation donors gave Texas Athletics almost $200 million in cash and pledges during the 2023-24 school year, a record-breaking total according to the athletic department.
Of that total, donors gave $74.4 million to the Longhorn Foundation annual fund, the highest total since the Foundation started in 1986. Approximately $13 million of that amount was designated for philanthropy, which more than doubled the previous amount.
It was a record-breaking year on the field, too. Texas won a record 15 Big 12 titles during its final year in the conference before moving to the SEC this fall. The Longhorns captured their third Directors’ Cup title in the last four years for being the most successful athletic department in the nation.
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“Our Longhorn Foundation donors are truly the wind beneath our wings and we are so grateful for their unwavering support,” Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said in a statement. “The success of our student-athletes and coaches is dependent upon support from our loyal fans, and you have given them the resources to succeed in the classroom and on the playing field. We cannot thank you enough.”
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Perhaps more impressive, Texas is not doing this with small donors.
High-level donors are members of the DeLoss Dodds Leadership Team, named after the former athletic director. There are now 668 members who give a minimum of $25,000 each year.
The Longhorn Foundation also launched what’s known as the United Texas Circle, a philanthropic arm for multi-year pledges. The Circle has 325 members who have pledged a minimum of $100,000 over five years to support ongoing capital projects for future construction and endowments.
The Longhorns have been fiercely protective about keeping their donor lists private, too. The Texas Attorney General has turned down multiple open records requests over the years from reporters wanting to figure out where donors rank on the Foundation's priority points list.
To no surprise, Texas has always had a lot of money. The athletic department is totally self-sufficient and requires no state money for any of its operations. But the Longhorns spend a lot of money, too.
Football alone brought in $183 million during the 2023 fiscal year, according to USA Today. That was $122 million over expenses, creating the surplus that funds the rest of the department.
Overall, the athletic department reported it brought in $271 million in operating revenue during the 2023 fiscal year. In that number, $86 million came via donations, a huge portion coming from priority seating. UT also had $63.3 million in ticket sales.
The numbers made a huge year-over-year jump due to Texas’ first full year in Moody Center, the school’s new basketball arena.
The Longhorn Foundation is separate from any NIL organizations like the Texas One Fund. Those who give the Foundation are essentially giving directly to the athletic department for operational use, not to pay players.
“We are so thankful to our Longhorn Foundation donors who have supported every initiative, answered every call to action, and actively engaged in one of the most dynamic times in college sports history,” Andrew Hamor, who oversees the Longhorn Foundation, said in a statement. “We say it all the time, but every success our student-athletes have is made possible by the support of Longhorn Nation.”
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