The Harvard Cheer team in an undated photo posted to the university's Facebook page. | Harvard Crimson Facebook page
The Harvard Cheer team in an undated photo posted to the university's Facebook page. | Harvard Crimson Facebook page
Harvard University offers 42 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports for men and women who attend the university, more than any other NCAA Division 1 college in the nation.
Harvard focuses on providing its students with a broad array of programs and opportunities through both competitive and recreational sports at the university.
There are many ways to support university athletics, including donating, volunteering, sponsoring, attending events and purchasing season tickets, participating in activities, becoming a member of the Harvard Varsity Club and providing mentorship through the Harvard Varsity Club's Career Services database.
Donors can also provide to the Athletic Director's Discretionary Endowment Funds (ADDFs) by providing a gift of $100,000 to establish a fund. The funds seek to keep apace with new developments in college athletics and also provide support for program needs that are outside of the Athletic Department's budget.
Donors can also donate to the Radcliffe Foundation for Women's Athletics (HRFWA) to help with women's teams.
HRFWA began in 1981 to help provide financial assistance to women's programs at Harvard. It distributed approximately $100,000 each year through an incentive plan that encourages women to give back to their former teams. The funding comes from an endowment.
HRFWA also raises money through gifts. The foundation will match the first 40 gifts of $1,000 given to a specific friend group and will match the first eight gifts of $2,500. The foundation also distributes $25,000 to friends groups based on the percentage of alumnae that donate $50 or more to their friend group.
Those who wish to make a donation to a friend group can give any amount to the specific team's budget. For donations that are more than $5,000, donors can choose that the donation be spread out over several years or all at once. Due to COVID-19, the Athletics Department prefers online donations, since the staff is continuing to work remotely and has limited access to phones and mail.
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