Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation Launches Year-Round Annual Fund for ‘America’s Stadium’

The Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of Pasadena’s Rose Bowl Stadium, launched a year-round giving program called the Lasting Legacy Annual Fund, the foundation announced Wednesday, Sept. 16.

The fund will support the foundation’s ongoing work beyond the stadium’s major capital projects, according to the foundation’s announcement. Contributions will pay for operational and administrative expenses, community engagement initiatives and events, donor cultivation and stewardship, strategic initiatives and educational programming through the Rose Bowl Institute, including curriculum development, the announcement said.

Giving levels start at $50 for Friend of the Rose Bowl and $250 for Legacy Member, according to the foundation. They rise through Legacy Supporter at $500, Legacy Fellow at $1,000, Legacy Leader at $2,500 and Legacy Champion at $5,000. The top levels are Legacy Council at $10,000 and Legacy Society at $25,000. Benefits include donor recognition, invitations to select events and exclusive experiences, the foundation said.

“The Lasting Legacy Annual Fund gives everyone who has a connection to the Rose Bowl Stadium the opportunity to become part of its future,” said Brent Vicino, a vice president for advancement at the foundation. Vicino previously led and grew the annual fund for athletics at the University of Southern California as assistant athletics director for the Trojan Athletic Fund, according to the foundation.

The annual fund sits alongside the foundation’s Lasting Legacy Campaign, a multi-year effort launched Dec. 2, 2024, to raise approximately $80 million for eight capital projects at the stadium. The foundation estimates the first phase, from 2024 to 2026, at $30 million to $35 million, and the second, from 2027 to 2029, at $45 million to $50 million. Besides private gifts, the capital projects are also to be funded by the stadium’s third-party rights holders and partners, vendors, government grants and Rose Bowl Operating Company contributions, the foundation says.

The foundation launched the Rose Bowl Institute in 2020 to champion sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship. The institute says its programming has reached more than 46,000 people and that it has awarded 26 scholarships totaling more than $70,000 since 2020. The foundation also supports the Honda Field Trip to the Field program, which started in 2016 and welcomes every Pasadena Unified School District seventh grader to the stadium each year.

The foundation was created in 2010 and completed a $40 million centennial fundraising campaign in 2022, the stadium’s 100th year. During that campaign, its donor base grew from 25 local donors to about 5,000 nationwide, the foundation said at the time.

The remaining first-phase projects are fully funded and expected to be completed by fall 2026, according to the foundation, with second-phase work to follow based on the stadium’s major event schedule and the securing of funds.

Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena. For more call (626) 577-2540 or visit https://www.rosebowllegacy.org. Information on the Lasting Legacy Campaign is at https://www.rosebowllastinglegacy.com.