UCLA Athletics today announced a commitment of $3M from The Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Foundation to establish an endowment to support the greatest needs of UCLA Athletics, as determined by the athletic director. In recognition of the Lainers’ generosity, the UCLA Director of Athletics position will now be known as The Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics.
“We are deeply grateful to Alice, Nahum and the entire Lainer Family for endowing the top leadership position in UCLA Athletics, one that oversees and sets forth a vision for our storied programs,” said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. “Their visionary support will provide UCLA Athletics with much-needed resources to continue to achieve at the highest levels for generations to come.”
“The Lainers are tremendous Bruins, and we thank them once again for their incredible generosity,” saidUCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero, who will be the first Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics, until his retirement next summer after 18 years leading the department. “Throughout my tenure here, Alice and Nahum have been champions for our student-athletes and coaches with integrity and in ways that truly matter. This landmark gift is another significant gesture of support that will benefit UCLA Athletics greatly, both now and in the future.”
Alice and Nahum Lainer are leaders and visionaries whose family name has long been synonymous with UCLA, UCLA Athletics and the greater Los Angeles Community. Alice and Nahum met as undergraduates at UCLA and went to a Bruins basketball game on their second date. Both earned undergraduate degrees at UCLA, and Nahum went on to obtain his MBA in Westwood.
“Alice and I, and our family are thrilled to make this gift to endow the athletic director position at UCLA,” said Nahum Lainer. “We’ve been attending games for over five decades with our children, and now our grandchildren, too, and we’ve derived great joy in traveling to support the teams when we can, and especially getting to know Dan Guerrero and his staff. We are grateful to the school and are happy to help give better opportunities to student-athletes and coaches. We believe that there could be no better first chair holder than Dan Guerrero, who has honorably upheld the values and traditions of our great alma mater, and look forward to continuing our support through his transition as we embark on a new era in UCLA Athletics.”
In 1990, the Lainers were among the first supporters to establish a scholarship for UCLA men’s basketball, creating The Nahum and Alice Lainer Endowed Men’s Basketball Grant-in-Aid. When the J.D. Morgan Intercollegiate Athletics Center was renovated, one of the assistant basketball coach’s offices was named for them. In 2003, they were part of an illustrious group of Bruins to make a gift to “The Champions Fund,” a fund created to ensure that UCLA can provide top compensation and incentives to draw the best coaches in the country. In 2009, they supported the Campaign of Champions to help renovate Pauley Pavilion, and throughout the past several decades they have supported various entities and projects across the entire UCLA campus, including the Armand Hammer Museum and the UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios. The Lainers’ generosity doesn’t stop with UCLA; they support many other charitable organizations and foundations across Southern California and around the world.
It is the Lainers’ hope that this gift will inspire others to join them in securing the future of UCLA Athletics. This gift, which is part of the now surpassed $4.2 billion campus-wide UCLA Centennial Campaign concluding at the end of 2019, will be used to underscore UCLA's continued leadership and commitment to achieving excellence in the classroom, in competition and in the community. The Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics endowment directly addresses the Department's primary Centennial Campaign objective: to lay the foundation for a financially sustainable future to build upon UCLA's standing as the premier intercollegiate athletics program in the nation.
In the coming year, athletic department expenses are projected to reach more than $130 million. With no state funding, UCLA Athletics is responsible for generating the funds internally to cover 98% of all total expenses. With costs across the board continuing to rise as the landscape of intercollegiate athletics evolves, it is vital for UCLA Athletics to generate revenue through private donations, as existing self-controlled revenue streams have now been maximized, namely through the department's shoe and apparel partnership with Under Armour and multimedia rights agreement with Learfield IMG College.
For more information on the Centennial Campaign or to support UCLA student-athletes, contact the UCLA Athletics Development Office at 310-206-3302 or visitwww.woodenathleticfund.com.
“We are deeply grateful to Alice, Nahum and the entire Lainer Family for endowing the top leadership position in UCLA Athletics, one that oversees and sets forth a vision for our storied programs,” said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. “Their visionary support will provide UCLA Athletics with much-needed resources to continue to achieve at the highest levels for generations to come.”
“The Lainers are tremendous Bruins, and we thank them once again for their incredible generosity,” saidUCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero, who will be the first Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics, until his retirement next summer after 18 years leading the department. “Throughout my tenure here, Alice and Nahum have been champions for our student-athletes and coaches with integrity and in ways that truly matter. This landmark gift is another significant gesture of support that will benefit UCLA Athletics greatly, both now and in the future.”
Alice and Nahum Lainer are leaders and visionaries whose family name has long been synonymous with UCLA, UCLA Athletics and the greater Los Angeles Community. Alice and Nahum met as undergraduates at UCLA and went to a Bruins basketball game on their second date. Both earned undergraduate degrees at UCLA, and Nahum went on to obtain his MBA in Westwood.
“Alice and I, and our family are thrilled to make this gift to endow the athletic director position at UCLA,” said Nahum Lainer. “We’ve been attending games for over five decades with our children, and now our grandchildren, too, and we’ve derived great joy in traveling to support the teams when we can, and especially getting to know Dan Guerrero and his staff. We are grateful to the school and are happy to help give better opportunities to student-athletes and coaches. We believe that there could be no better first chair holder than Dan Guerrero, who has honorably upheld the values and traditions of our great alma mater, and look forward to continuing our support through his transition as we embark on a new era in UCLA Athletics.”
In 1990, the Lainers were among the first supporters to establish a scholarship for UCLA men’s basketball, creating The Nahum and Alice Lainer Endowed Men’s Basketball Grant-in-Aid. When the J.D. Morgan Intercollegiate Athletics Center was renovated, one of the assistant basketball coach’s offices was named for them. In 2003, they were part of an illustrious group of Bruins to make a gift to “The Champions Fund,” a fund created to ensure that UCLA can provide top compensation and incentives to draw the best coaches in the country. In 2009, they supported the Campaign of Champions to help renovate Pauley Pavilion, and throughout the past several decades they have supported various entities and projects across the entire UCLA campus, including the Armand Hammer Museum and the UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios. The Lainers’ generosity doesn’t stop with UCLA; they support many other charitable organizations and foundations across Southern California and around the world.
It is the Lainers’ hope that this gift will inspire others to join them in securing the future of UCLA Athletics. This gift, which is part of the now surpassed $4.2 billion campus-wide UCLA Centennial Campaign concluding at the end of 2019, will be used to underscore UCLA's continued leadership and commitment to achieving excellence in the classroom, in competition and in the community. The Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics endowment directly addresses the Department's primary Centennial Campaign objective: to lay the foundation for a financially sustainable future to build upon UCLA's standing as the premier intercollegiate athletics program in the nation.
In the coming year, athletic department expenses are projected to reach more than $130 million. With no state funding, UCLA Athletics is responsible for generating the funds internally to cover 98% of all total expenses. With costs across the board continuing to rise as the landscape of intercollegiate athletics evolves, it is vital for UCLA Athletics to generate revenue through private donations, as existing self-controlled revenue streams have now been maximized, namely through the department's shoe and apparel partnership with Under Armour and multimedia rights agreement with Learfield IMG College.
For more information on the Centennial Campaign or to support UCLA student-athletes, contact the UCLA Athletics Development Office at 310-206-3302 or visitwww.woodenathleticfund.com.
