OLE MISS ATHLETICS FOUNDATION

What OLE MISS ATHLETICS FOUNDATION does

Ole Miss Athletics Foundation (OMAF) is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and donor-program arm of the University of Mississippi's athletics department. Headquartered at 1111 West Jackson Avenue in Oxford, Mississippi, the Foundation raises philanthropic support and manages priority-seating revenue that funds scholarships, coaching, facilities, and championship-level programs for Ole Miss student-athletes. It is governed by a Board of Governors chaired by Don Fruge, with Cal Mayo as President and Denson Hollis serving dual roles as CEO and Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development since August 2022.

The Foundation's revenue model is structured around a multi-tiered giving program with nine levels ranging from a $50 Rebel entry tier to a $25,000 Legend tier, anchored by the Vaught Society leadership-giving program at a $25,000 minimum payable over five years. Priority seating — covering football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, and softball — generates approximately $20 million annually and is allocated on a priority-points basis. The Annual Fund supports over 15,000 members, while ancillary programs include ten sport-specific giving clubs, Rising Rebs for young supporters, Air Rebs charter service for top donors, and premium hospitality offerings. The Foundation is supported by long-standing partnerships with Learfield (multimedia rights), Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center (student-athlete care, renewed October 2025 across 15+ statewide locations), and IMPACT by Ironwood (payment processing).

Commercially, the Foundation operates through direct donation channels via givetoathletics.com, in-person giving, email and phone outreach, and stewardship events such as the Vaught Society Dinner and Paint the Field. It reports student-athlete outcomes of a 94% Graduation Success Rate, 341 Honor-Roll recipients, and a 3.31 departmental GPA, which it uses as accountability metrics to donors. The Foundation is a subsidiary entity of the University of Mississippi with no disclosed outside equity funding, functioning as a dependent fundraising arm rather than an independent operating business.

Name

OLE MISS ATHLETICS FOUNDATION

Legal name

Ole Miss Athletics Foundation

Website

https://givetoathletics.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ole Miss Athletics Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises philanthropic support and manages priority-seating programs for University of Mississippi athletics, funding scholarships, coaching, and facilities through a nine-tier Annual Fund and the Vaught Society leadership-giving program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Athletics Fundraising Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Athletics Fundraising, Sponsorships & NIL Support (EDALAIAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB), Athletics Marketing, Communications & Fan Engagement (EDALAIAM)

Keywords

• Athletics fundraising
• Donor membership programs
• Priority seating
• Athletic scholarship funding
• Nonprofit athletics foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

University

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Ole Miss Athletics Foundation is the official fundraising arm of Ole Miss Athletics, securing financial resources through philanthropy and performance venue revenue to support University of Mississippi student-athletes. It operates a tiered Annual Fund with over 15,000 members across nine giving levels, a leadership Vaught Society program starting at $25,000, priority seating programs that generate approximately $20 million annually for football, basketball, baseball, and softball, and sport-specific giving clubs targeting individual athletic programs.

Product overview

Ole Miss Athletics Foundation operates as a comprehensive athletics fundraising organization offering a multi-tiered giving structure. The core offerings include Priority Seating programs generating $20 million annually for football, basketball, and baseball, supported by an Annual Fund with over 15,000 members across nine giving levels. The Vaught Society serves as the leadership donor program starting at $25,000, while sport-specific giving clubs provide targeted support for individual athletic programs. The organization also offers premium seating services, youth engagement through Rising Rebs, and aviation benefits through Air Rebs for major donors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vaught Society: Leadership fundraising society under OMAF supporting Ole Miss Athletics with membership starting at $25,000.
• Rising Rebs
• Air Rebs
• IMPACT by Ironwood

Products and services

• Priority Seating Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% Graduation Success Rate for student-athletes
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2025Renewed partnership providing orthopedic care for Ole Miss student-athletes. The practice rebranded after integrating Oxford Orthopaedics following 30 years of service. Expanded to 15+ locations statewide.
• LearfieldcoreOthersLongtime partnership administrator for Ole Miss Athletics. Learfield manages multimedia rights and sponsorship relationships for the athletic department.
• IMPACT by IronwoodminorOthersPayment processing partner that donates a portion of credit and debit card transaction revenue to support Ole Miss Academic Scholarships and Athletics.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tennessee Volunteers (Neyland Entertainment / Vol Fund): SEC peer fundraising organization for Tennessee Athletics; runs tiered annual giving, priority seating, and major-gift programs across football, basketball, and baseball.
• Alabama Crimson Tide (Big Al Foundation / Alabama Athletics): SEC peer operating one of the largest collegiate athletics fundraising operations in the country; structure and tiered priority-seating model directly comparable to OMAF.
• Georgia Bulldog Club: Fundraising arm of UGA Athletics; comparable SEC peer operating tiered giving levels, priority seating, and major-gift programs with shared donor economics.
• Auburn Tigers Unlimited (War Eagle Club): SEC peer fundraising organization for Auburn Athletics; manages priority seating, annual fund, and premium donor programs in a similar regional donor market.
• Florida Gator Boosters: Official fundraising organization of Florida Gators Athletics; operates SEC-scale priority seating, scholarship, and major-donor programs in the same category as OMAF.
• Clemson IPTAY: Long-established collegiate athletics fundraising organization (Clemson); comparable tier-based priority seating and scholarship endowment model in an ACC context.
• Mississippi State Bulldog Club: In-state SEC peer and direct athletics fundraising organization for Mississippi State; runs priority seating, scholarship endowments, and annual giving programs in the same donor market as Ole Miss.
• LSU Tiger Athletic Foundation: Official fundraising arm of LSU Athletics; operates tiered priority seating, annual fund, and major-donor society programs comparable in structure and SEC donor economics to OMAF.

Emerging players

• The Grove Collective (Ole Miss NIL): Ole Miss-aligned NIL collective; overlaps with OMAF in the same donor base and is now coordinating events (e.g., Steel Wings 2025) — a thematic peer in the NIL-fundraising era.

Others

• Learfield (media-rights partner): Industry-wide collegiate athletics media-rights and sponsorship partner; relevant as an adjacent/ecosystem enabler rather than a fundraiser, but functionally intertwined with OMAF's revenue model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/OleMissAF
• Facebookfacebook.com/OleMissAF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ole-miss-athletics-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OLE MISS ATHLETICS FOUNDATION