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≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡
Because Olympic and Paralympic organizing committees in the U.S. do not receive government funding, it is always difficult to get started after the bid process concludes.
For the Salt Lake City-Utah organizers for the 2034 Winter Games, selected last year, and incorporated in February 2025, that problem no longer exists.
On Monday, the organizing committee announced a startling $200 million in private-sector funding commitments at the “launch” of its “Podium34” campaign:
● A total of 22 Founding Captains and Donors, including two who wish to remain anonymous.
● All are in Utah, including “Utah families and nonprofit foundations, the charitable arms of Utah corporations, and other giving organizations engaged in cause-related work within the state.”
● Nine of the 22 donors are at the “Founding Captain” level of $20 million or more, with the 13 “Founding Donors” at commitments of $1-15 million each:
Founding Captains:
● The Daniels Fund
● George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation
● Robert H. and Katharine B. Garff Foundation
● Huntsman Family Foundation
● Maverik, Inc.
● Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation
● John and Marcia Price Family Foundation
● Matthew and Tatiana Prince
● Ryan and Ashley Smith Foundation
Founding Donors:
● The Andrus Family Foundation
● The Boyer Company
● The Coburn Family
● Gregory and Julie Cook Family
● Intermountain Health
● The Kahlert Foundation
● Frederick Q. Lawson Foundation
● Janet Q. Lawson Foundation
● Blake and Sandy Modersitzki Family
● S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation
● Blake and Nancy Roney Family
(two others anonymous)
SLC-Utah 2024 Executive Chair Fraser Bullock explained:
“Today we announce ‘Podium34,’ which invites donations to the cause of hosting the Games and to related positive impacts in our communities. With today’s milestone, we accomplished two things.
“First, we lay the financial foundation to host great Games in 2034. This is essential. Second, we open the door to be able to execute the first pillar of our vision, which is to elevate our communities, whether it’s youth sport or education or other initiatives that are so important to our communities.
“We don’t have to wait until 2034, we can start them now because of these great contributors to this cause. We have the opportunity, through the Games, to do good. When you cut through it all, that’s our purpose.”
And he underscored the truly historic nature of the program:
“What you’ll hear described today has never been done before, in the history of the Games. To have donations of this magnitude to an Olympic host, has never happened before. This is a Games first.
“In fact, as I was talking in the last several with some of my friends at the [International Olympic Committee], they were astonished, at Utah stepping forward in this manner. They understand that Utah loves the Games.”
Founding Captain-level donors can direct some of their contributions to support specific programming, such as arts and culture, education, mental health and youth sports.
The SLC-Utah 2034 organizers initially revealed the remarkable success of its outreach effort during comments to the Utah Legislature’s Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Coordination Committee meeting on 14 August 2025, with chief executive Brad Wilson explaining that nearly $150 million in commitments had been made by then.
This is especially crucial for the 2034 organizers as they have no opportunities available in the commercial sponsorship market until after the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles are concluded.
The organizing committee’s Board revised the goal of the philanthropic campaign to $300 million from an original $200 million to reflect the enthusiasm from the first wave of donors, and to be able to begin thinking about the long-term, post-2034 benefits that the Games can bring.
In terms of what the funding means to the tiny organizing committee of about a dozen people, it was explained that the funding commitments made so far are generally payable over a 10-year period from 2025 through 2034, so something less than $20 million will be available this year and then coming in steadily beginning in 2026.
That’s enough to get going. And then some.
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