Coming off successful seasons with multiple programs last year, San Francisco State University women’s athletics received a $450,000 gift from the Start Small Fund. This is the largest donation women’s athletics has ever received and the largest for SFSU athletics in over a decade.
The Start Small Fund is an initiative by Block and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. The initiative initially supported COVID-19 relief efforts, but now that the pandemic has subsided, the foundation has shifted its intentions to help push girls’ health and education forward.
Volleyball Head Coach Matt Hoffman is elated about the opportunities the donation will create for women’s athletes.
“I think it’s just huge for all women’s sports here. It’s a very generous donation,” Hoffman said. “It just provides opportunities for them to get here, get a great education and compete at a high level.”
The athletic department plans to endow the money and offer scholarships from the proceeds as the money “will need time to mature,” according to Athletic Director Brandon Davis.
“We chose an endowment because scholarships are our most pressing need,” Davis said. ”And endowments create the most sustainable source of scholarship for us”
The scholarships will rotate between the different women’s sports teams, depending on current needs for each team. According to Davis, it’s likely that the department will divide the proceeds into multiple scholarships.
For example, suppose three scholarships are awarded in a calendar year. In that case, you’ll have a student-athlete from volleyball, women’s soccer and cross country/track and field receive scholarships. The new abundance of scholarships will help sustain the recent success the Gators have had.
Last season, the softball team was the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Division II West Regional. While the results weren’t what the Gators hoped for, Head Coach Alicia Reid believes the large donation will be helpful in the recruiting effort to help combat the recent athletic budget struggles.
“When you’re competing with other schools who are able to offer X sum of dollars, you have to try and compete with that from time to time with certain athletes who are in certain financial situations,” Reid said. “That can sometimes be the difference between landing a recruit or not.”
As a former collegiate athlete and now a head coach of a women’s sports team, Reid is thrilled people are “finally putting a magnifying glass on women’s sports.” She believes the recent success of women’s professional sports, such as the new WNBA sports franchise, the Valkyries, is trickling down to the collegiate level.
“Allowing these athletes who come from all sorts of backgrounds and upbringings to feel supported in their goals and endeavors that they are striving for is huge,” Reid said. “Seeing that support from community members as a program is an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.”
Women’s soccer Head Coach John DeMartini has always seen the greatness that comes from women’s athletics. The recent donation is just another example of that.
“You have more female leadership at higher levels. So the voice now matters. It always did, but it was drowned out a little bit,” said DeMartini, who’s been coaching women’s sports for the past 30 years. “I think for me, when you start seeing these types of donations from foundations specifically like that, there’s a big carryover.”
Despite the large donation, the athletics department will continue to find different ways to raise funds for endowed scholarships.
“We want to support our student-athletes as much as possible,” Davis said. “And providing scholarships is two-fold; they ease the burden for families financially, and help us draw top talent and compete at a high level.”
