Western Athletic Conference

About Western Athletic Conference

Western Athletic Conference directs nearly all of its recent grantmaking to student assistance at member universities, with awards reaching from six figures to more than $1.2 million. The largest recent grant in the file is $1,284,351 to Abilene Christian University for student assistance, and another seven-figure grant went to Southern Utah University at $1,052,168. That pattern points to a funder built around sustaining athlete and student support inside the conference rather than dispersing small, broad-based awards. The foundation’s recent grants show repeated support for a small group of institutions over multiple years. Abilene Christian University, Southern Utah University, University of Texas - Arlington, Utah Valley University, Grand Canyon University, California Baptist University, Stephen F Austin State University, Utah Tech University, Seattle University, Tarleton State University, and University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley each appear in the recent list. The purposes are consistently listed as student assistance, which aligns with the organization’s emphasis on scholarships, financial aid, and student support for students at WAC-affiliated universities. Grant sizes are substantial even at the lower end of the recent list, and the repeat awards suggest a structured, programmatic funding relationship rather than isolated one-time support.

What Western Athletic Conference Funds

Student financial assistance is the clearest theme in the recent grants. Western Athletic Conference gave $662,120 to University of Texas - Arlington for student assistance and $627,934 to Utah Valley University for the same purpose. Additional awards of $401,782 to Utah Tech University and $305,660 to Tarleton State University show that this is not limited to one campus or one year. The foundation also supports student aid at religiously affiliated universities in the West. California Baptist University received $538,932 for student assistance, while Grand Canyon University received $583,055. Those same institutions appear again at smaller amounts later in the file, reinforcing a continuing relationship. Regional public universities in Texas and Utah are another major thread. Stephen F Austin State University, Southern Utah University, and Abilene Christian University each received multiple student-assistance grants across 2024 and 2025.

How Western Athletic Conference Gives