October 13, 2006

Los Angeles, CA: An alumnus of the University of Southern California has donated $100,000 in the form of a challenge grant to the University to support the Men’s Crew program.

A challenge grant is a gift or pledge that is offered contingent on "matching" funds being raised according to terms and conditions spelled out by the donor. A deadline of December 31st has been set for alumni and parents to match the $100,000 donation.



The USC donor, requesting no public recognition for his gift, has made arrangements with the USC Associates, the University’s centralized giving arm, to transfer the funds to the team.

“I have wonderful memories of my time on the Crew at USC and am delighted by the progress the team has made in recent years under the guidance of its coach Gene Kininmonth,” said the donor. “I hope my gift of $100,000 to the Crew will quickly be matched by the Trojan Family and spur future giving to support our Trojan Oarsmen,” he said.

Head Coach Gene Kininmonth, who also heads up fund raising for the Crew, says a challenge grant gets more people involved. “No one likes to feel they are alone in supporting an organization. For the donor of a large gift, it is comforting to know that others feel just as passionately about a program even if they are not in a position to give as much.”

Challenge grants potentially double support for an organization and have been a successful fundraising tool for the Trojan Navy in the past.

In 2000, billionaire philanthropist Janet Burkle, mother of then student-oarsman John Burkle, challenged members of the Crew Board to match her support for the team. In 2003, former crewmates Andrew Westhem ’55 and Jack Schumacher ’54 fronted half the $40,000 needed to purchase the team’s first new eight-man shell in over a decade and challenged fellow alumni to match the balance. Alumni responded generously and the shell, named “AshleySierra” after Mr. Westhem’s two granddaughters, is now rowed by the varsity crew.

Most recently this summer, when the team moved its base from Marina del Rey back to the Port of Los Angeles, a new dock and ramp were desperately needed to continue operations. Alumni were challenged to quickly match a $10,000 gift from Jack Schumacher within one month to raise the needed funds, and this challenge was also successfully met.

The $100,000 gift is the largest single donation to the Crew since Lloyd Hunt donated $400,000 to fund an endowment for rowing at USC in 1980. The Hunt endowment is worth more than $1.4 million today and the annual income is shared equally with Women’s Rowing, a USC varsity sport.

Members of the Trojan Family wishing to make a donation to the team should make their checks payable “USC Men’s Crew.”

Checks should be mailed to:

Attn: Coach Gene Kininmonth
USC Men’s Crew
1026 W. 34th Street,
Los Angeles, CA 90089-2500

All gifts to the University are fully tax-deductible.
Click here to download the University’s tax I.D.