Notre Dame NIL collective to cease operations, back new organization
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Friends of the University of Notre Dame Inc., or FUND, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting student-athletes at the University of Notre Dame, said this week it will discontinue operations prior to the start of the 2025-26 academic year and cease accepting donations after Dec. 31, 2024.
Instead, the organization is transitioning to support a new for-profit entity known as Rally.
With the goal of advancing the mission of charitable organizations in the South Bend community by connecting them with student-athletes passionate about their cause, FUND was established in 2022 to bridge the gap to the current era of name, image, and likeness, or NIL, deals in collegiate athletics.
“Our supporters have made a significant impact on the lives of countless student-athletes at Notre Dame and given opportunities to charities that make such a profound impact on the South Bend community,” FUND co-founder Brady Quinn said in a news release. “We feel good that we were able to fill a critical need to address NIL challenges and opportunities at Notre Dame.”
The organization said it will work with Rally, which is tasked with organizing NIL opportunities for Notre Dame’s student-athletes.
“We are grateful for the unwavering support of our donors and the Notre Dame community,” FUND Board Chair Greg Dugard said. “As we make this transition, we are confident that Rally will continue to uphold the values and tradition of excellence that define Notre Dame athletics.”
New NCAA NIL rules that took effect Aug. 1 ushered in a regime of economic benefits for student-athletes across the nation, and the switch to Rally is a step in that direction, the organization said.
Rally will facilitate partnerships between business owners, student-athletes and the wider Notre Dame community. Opportunities include endorsement deals, sponsorships and other commercial activities.
“I’m so thankful for the work that FUND has done to support our Notre Dame student-athletes and local community organizations over the last few years,” Notre Dame Director of Athletics Pete Bevacqua said in the release. “As we move toward the transition from FUND to Rally, we look forward to the future of Notre Dame Athletics and the continued success of our student-athletes on and off the field of play.”
Both FUND and Rally are independent of the university itself. A spokesperson for Notre Dame told Inside INdiana Business that the university will continue to provide support for student-athletes as it always has, through branding, media training, education in financial and legal services, and career placement, among other services.
For more information about Rally and how to support Notre Dame student-athletes moving forward, click here.