Oregon State announces $24M challenge grant to spur $48M in student-athlete revenue sharing

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University today launched a $48 million initiative to generate philanthropic investments over the next three years to expand and strengthen revenue sharing opportunities to support the university’s student-athletes.

The effort is anchored by a $24 million commitment from the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation to the OSU Foundation. As a condition of the gift, Oregon State must secure an additional $8 million annually from other donors over the next three years to match the commitment from the Valley Foundation.

"We are deeply grateful to the Valley Foundation for their extraordinary generosity and belief in Oregon State," said Oregon State University President Jayathi Murthy. “Beavers and Cougars built the new Pac-12, and Beavers absolutely intend to win. This significant investment ensures our student-athletes and our coaches will have the resources they need to do so.”

OSU Athletics has long been a passion for the Valley family, starting with Wayne Valley, who played football and ran track for OSU in the 1930s, and his son, Patrick Wayne Valley, who was on the football and rugby teams in the 1960s, according to the Valley Foundation.

The Valley Foundation emphasized the importance of OSU having the resources needed to compete and win in athletics, noting that the Valley Challenge for Student-Athletes builds on OSU’s strong legacy and brings together the Beaver community to support student-athletes at a pivotal moment.

“We are grateful to the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation for this investment in OSU Athletics, which builds on its longstanding record of philanthropic leadership at the university, from broad support of our ocean and marine enterprise to transformative investments in facilities across campus, including the recent $50 million commitment to the Jen‑Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex,” said Shawn L. Scoville, president and CEO of the OSU Foundation.

Scoville added, “We are proud to partner with the university in securing this gift and in prioritizing fundraising for these critical needs, and we are grateful to President Jayathi Murthy and Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Barnes for their leadership.”

To further support revenue sharing, OSU Athletics has reorganized its annual giving program, called Our Beaver Nation Membership, which includes multiple levels of support designed to encourage sustained, multi-year commitments.

“Many of our alumni and friends have shown tremendous generosity to Oregon State Athletics over the past five years,” Murthy said. “Now is the moment for those who have been watching from the sidelines to get in the game. We have a three-year opportunity to provide our student-athletes and coaches what they need to compete at the highest level. My husband and I have made a personal multi-year commitment to the Valley Challenge for Student-Athletes at the membership program’s leadership level, and we need all of Beaver Nation to join us at a level aligned with their capacity.”

University leaders emphasized that the investment in revenue sharing, paired with university support for athletics, is a cornerstone of Oregon State’s strategy to sustain success in a rapidly evolving collegiate athletics landscape.