Virginia Tech will use a majority of its largest donation ever — $75 million — to try to keep pace in the changing college sports money race, the university announced Thursday.
A portion of the unprecedented commitment, made anonymously by a four-generation Hokie family, will also go to the university’s Honors College, according to the announcement.
The university did not disclose the specific funding split between athletics and the Honors College.
The commitment becomes part of hundreds of millions of dollars of new funding streams to athletics. The athletic portion of the $75 million includes money for the Invest to Win initiative, which has a goal to ensure Virginia Tech’s competitiveness in the age of paying players; unrestricted funds to be used at the discretion of the university’s athletic director; and additional support to be administered through the new Hokie Ventures, a nonprofit commercial entity approved by the school’s board of visitors on Tuesday, according to the announcement.
“This historic commitment reflects extraordinary confidence in Virginia Tech’s rising potential in athletics and impactful scholarship,” President Tim Sands said in the announcement. “We are deeply grateful to receive this unprecedented investment at a pivotal moment for Virginia Tech as we work to elevate the success of our teams and student-athletes and develop innovative educational experiences that prepare our students to lead.”
The commitment helps ensure a strong start to Hokie Ventures, the university stated in the announcement.
The previous largest commitments to Virginia Tech were $50 million gifts announced in 2018, 2021 and 2023. The previous largest commitment to athletics was $20 million announced in December 2025, according to the announcement.
“This historic commitment is the result of years of thoughtful planning, relationship-building, and the collective efforts of many people who believe deeply in Virginia Tech and our future,” Athletic Director Whit Babcock said in the announcement.
A large percentage of the $75 million directed to Invest to Win will be invested to provide a permanent stream of support year after year, according to the announcement, and the remainder of the commitment, including the portion for the Honors College, was designated for current use.
“This transformative commitment will have a tremendous impact on our football program and the young men who wear the Virginia Tech uniform,” said football coach James Franklin in the announcement. “Football is the front porch of the university, and sustained investment is critical to competing for championships at the highest level.”
The commitment to the Honors College will support the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program. The program brought together students from disciplines across engineering, business, science, humanities, policy and the arts to work collaboratively on real-world problems with faculty, industry and nonprofit partners, according to the announcement. The program launched with a $20 million gift from university alumnus David Calhoun in 2018.
