The Joan H. Gillings Foundation was established in honor of the late Joan Gillings (1945-2021), pictured above. (Photo courtesy of UNC-Chapel Hill)
A $13.5 million gift from the Joan H. Gillings Foundation is making an immediate impact in Carolina women’s athletics.
By Katie Sweet, The Rams Club
Student-athletes are passionate, collaborative trailblazers. So was philanthropist Joan H. Gillings. She didn’t wear a jersey or score a goal as a Tar Heel, but her name will be remembered with the all-time greats of Carolina Athletics.
You’ve already seen or heard her name with the Gillings School of Global Public Health, at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, and on the UNC Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art. While buildings and academic programs across campus will long carry her name, the true measure of her impact will be felt by the women student-athletes benefitting — for generations — from the opportunities she helped create. To say she is a Carolina priceless gem would be an understatement.
With Joan’s passing in 2021, the Joan H. Gillings Foundation was established. The first gift from that foundation was a $13.5 million donation to Carolina Athletics. In her memory, Joan’s family:
- endowed a student-athlete scholarship and the Women’s Lacrosse head coach position;
- supported three facility renovations (Women’s Golf, Women’s Tennis, and Women’s Basketball);
- established the Nutrition, Wellness & Mental Health Endowment;
- endowed the FORevHER Tar Heels mentorship program; and
- ensured every women’s team would have at least $1 million in their operating endowments.
What does that really mean?
The Joan H. Gillings Foundation made a gift that positions Carolina Women’s Athletics to continue their championship ways — they hold 74% of UNC’s team national titles. 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 Gross, one of Joan’s three children. “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 Joan 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. For UNC Rowing, it has already had tangible benefits, and it has touched rowers past and present.
“We are immensely grateful for the Gillings family and their gift to our program,” said Carolina Rowing Head Coach Erin Neppel. “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.”
Gillings’ support of the UNC rowing team has already had tangible benefits. (Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics)
Joan’s family hopes this gift not only celebrates student-athletes and helps them continue to win in college athletics, but they hope it also creates a successful and generous path for them 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.”
With this investment, Carolina women student-athletes will have improved opportunities on the playing field, as well as access to dietitians and mental health experts. It will give them 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. It’s a celebration of Carolina Women’s Athletics — an example of women supporting and empowering other women. Joan’s children, Paul, John and Susan, hope it’s contagious.
“We hope this gift can be something that starts a dialogue,” said Susan. “We hope others, especially women, see this gift and feel empowered to go outside of their comfort zone and contribute in their own ways. Hopefully this can carry giving forward for everybody that it touches and inspire more people to do that for others, whether it’s a gift financially or in some other way.”
The positive impact of this investment has been wide reaching. Because of additional funding, the Mental Health and Performance Psychology (MHPP) program served 301 athletes in the 2023-24 academic year and improved the wait time by a week. Student-athletes who have directly benefited from the program highlight its influence on both their personal growth and the team’s success. As Anika Yarlagadda, a 2024 graduate from the Women’s Tennis team, shared:
“MHPP at UNC, to me, was just as or more important than the physical training we had to do as athletes. I have seen the growth in myself and many of my teammates on our respective journeys. We have found strength within ourselves and each other. With the help of Dr. Jeni [Shannon] and the many other amazing sports psychologists we had, our team won a national championship — which I always say was more from within than from what we actually put out on the court that day. I’m proud to have gotten to work with Dr. Jeni, and I continue to practice what she has taught me as I step into a new path in my life.”
The Joan H. Gillings Foundation’s gift to athletics was made in 2023, and the impact has been almost immediate, seen in everything from team operating support to mental health improvements. As Joan intended, her foundation is creating good in Carolina Athletics and lifting up women.
New Tar Heel champions will be crowned, and the next generation of leaders will grow here, thanks to this investment. Joan may not have worn a Carolina jersey, but through her generosity, she ensured that every woman who does will wear a legacy of excellence, strength and opportunity.
To learn more about supporting Carolina Athletics, visit ramsclub.com.
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