Gillings Foundation’s first gift supports women athletes
Carrying on Joan H. Gillings’ legacy, the $13.5 million donation allows these Tar Heels to continue their winning ways.
The first gift from the Joan H. Gillings Foundation was a $13.5 million donation in 2023 that made an immediate impact in Tar Heel women’s athletics.
The athletics gift:
- Endowed a student-athlete scholarship and the women’s lacrosse head coach position
- Supported three facility renovations for women’s golf, tennis and basketball
- Established the Nutrition, Wellness & Mental Health Endowment
- Endowed the FORevHER Tar Heels mentorship program
- Ensured every women’s team would have at least $1 million in their operating endowments
The Joan H. Gillings Foundation was established in honor of the late Joan Gillings (1945-2021). (Courtesy of the UNC Morehead Planetarium and Science Center)
Joan H. Gillings established the foundation in 2021, and her three children (John, Paul and Susan) made the first gift in her memory. This gift positions Carolina women’s athletics — which holds 74% of Tar Heel team national titles — to continue its championship ways. It means UNC-Chapel Hill will continue to develop the champions, legends and leaders who shine in competition, excel in the classroom and have limitless potential in life after Carolina.
“Ninety-six percent of our mom’s lifetime giving was to Carolina,” remembered Susan. “My brothers and I said, ‘Let’s just keep rooting her giving and her spirit here, where it’s already established.’ Mom had already touched public health, the sciences and the arts. Athletics was that last pillar that we saw as her legacy.”
Since Gillings was a tried-and-true Tar Heel sports fan, the gift to women’s athletics was a natural fit. It helps already successful programs continue to excel while also supporting other teams in need of funding. It gives women’s coaches the chance to focus on the sport at hand and develop their student-athletes rather than worry about whether the team will have enough funding to be successful.
Carolina women student-athletes will have improved opportunities on the playing field, as well as access to dietitians and mental health experts. They will have the chance to grow leadership skills outside of competition, make career connections and positively impact their communities. It will enrich their lives at the University and give them valuable skills for a lifetime.
The positive impact of this investment has been wide reaching. For example, additional funding allowed the mental health and performance psychology program to serve 301 athletes in the 2023-24 academic year and improve the wait time by a week.
The gift also had a tangible effect on the UNC rowing team, said head coach Erin Neppel. “We are immensely grateful for the Gillings family and their gift to our program. With it, we have so far purchased new oars and mirrors for our indoor training space, and over time it will allow us to continue to improve our athletes’ experience year to year. Beyond our current team members, it has also touched our alumni for whom that kind of support means so much. In turn, they have felt energized and have also begun supporting the program more, which is huge for us.”
The Gillings family hopes this gift also creates a successful and generous path for student-athletes after college.
“It’s not just about trophies, but it’s also making these women better people to move on to the next thing,” Susan explained. “Hopefully this gift can impact them, but also help inspire them in ways that they can pay it forward — if it’s financial, if it’s doing more good for the world, or supporting whatever they’re interested in. They won’t play sports forever, so how do we make them better people and ready for what comes next? Our vision with this gift was to make an impact on them as athletes and in their time after Carolina.”
To learn more about supporting Carolina Athletics, visit ramsclub.com.
