SALT LAKE CITY — Organizers of the 2034 Winter Games have launched a major fundraising effort to support the upcoming Olympics in Utah and causes surrounding it.
At a news conference Monday afternoon, leaders of the Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 organizing committee announced that the effort — branded as Podium34 — has already raised more than $200 million from Utah philanthropists and organizations. The organizing committee has set a goal of $300 million in revenue from Podium34.
“The Games have an extraordinary power to unify,” said Fraser Bullock, president and executive chairman of the organizing committee. “This is the first time a host for the Olympic and Paralympic Games has seen anything like this. We are deeply grateful to our donors for making it possible. Their leadership is a vital part of our commitment to host financially successful Games.”
Fraser Bullock, president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, speaks at a meeting in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
According to the organizing committee, nine families and organizations have each pledged at least $20 million toward the fundraising effort so far. They include the Daniels Fund, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, the Robert H. and Katharine B. Garff Foundation, the Huntsman Family Foundation, Maverik, the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation, the John and Marcia Price Family Foundation, Matthew and Tatiana Prince and the Ryan and Ashley Smith Foundation.
Utah was awarded the 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games last year. This came after Salt Lake City previously hosted the Winter Games in 2002.
The organizing committee said having nearly a decade to plan for the 2034 Games has made it possible to “innovate new ideas” like Podium34. Leaders said the funds raised will support not just the Olympics, but also community and sporting initiatives including “education, youth sports, mental health, arts and culture, community engagement, and other priorities that capture the spirit of the Games.”
“As a native Utahn, I am proud of our state and have deep gratitude for these families and giving organizations,” said Brad Wilson, the organizing committee’s CEO and vice chair. “In the true Utah way of service to others, they have stood up to support something that will have a positive impact across our state, but also to set an example for the world of the values for which our state stands.”
The Olympic Cauldron is lighted during a live watch party for the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee’s 2034 Winter Olympics bid on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in downtown Salt Lake City. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
Speaking remotely during Monday’s announcement, International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry thanked those who had donated so far.
“You are the heart of this new chapter. Your belief, your vision and your leadership are powerful elements of the Utah legacy,” said Coventry, calling the effort “unprecedented.”
Coventry continued, “you’ve chosen to lead, from the very beginning, to fuel the heart of this movement. You are sending a powerful message to the world that sport can inspire, that communities can be lifted and that together, we can build something greater than ourselves.”
Other donors have pledged to contribute at least $1 million and as much as $15 million, according to the organizing committee. They include:
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