The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics announced today that five Division I conferences qualified for grants and recognition through the Knight Commission’s C.A.R.E. Model Conference Grant program by meeting the criteria for connecting athletics revenues with the educational model of college sports.
The Metro Conference and The Southern Conference are recognized as C.A.R.E. Champions for a third consecutive year and each receive a $5,000 grant. The America East Conference, the Patriot League, and The Summit League continue as C.A.R.E. Champion Conferences for a second year and each receive a $10,000 grant. The financial awards recognize and support each conference’s ongoing commitment to the C.A.R.E. Model principles in the distribution and use of shared athletics revenues.
The C.A.R.E. Model (Connecting Athletics Revenues with the Educational Model of College Sports) financial framework was created to assist conferences and national entities in bolstering accountability and ensuring that both the distribution and spending of shared athletics revenue prioritize college athletes’ education, health, safety, well-being, equity, and opportunity. This holistic model supports the educational mission and includes four universal principles and requirements:
- Transparency
- Independent Oversight
- Incentives for Core Values of Education, Gender Equity, and Opportunity
- Financial Responsibility for Education, Health, Safety, and Well-Being
“These recognitions come at a moment of significant financial change across Division I athletics,” said Amy Privette Perko, CEO of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. “Amid that change, the five C.A.R.E. Champions continue to keep education, gender equity, and student-athlete well-being at the center of how they distribute and spend shared athletics revenue, demonstrating that values-based policies can endure even as the business of college athletics evolves.”
Knight Commission Co-Chair Len Elmore emphasized that values-based decision-making isn’t a one-time commitment. “Earning this recognition once shows intent. Earning it again — and, for two of these conferences, a third time — shows that these values are embedded into how a conference operates, not just how it responds to a single grant cycle,” said Elmore. “As Division I conferences navigate evolving financial pressures, these repeat C.A.R.E. Champions show that education‑centered principles can, and should, continue to shape responsible financial policy in college athletics.”
Each conference can use its C.A.R.E. Model Conference Grant to implement the principles and educate institutional leaders, staff, college athletes, and other stakeholders about how this framework positively impacts student-athletes’ experiences.
COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
America East Commissioner Brad Walker
“The America East Conference is proud to receive the C.A.R.E. model grant from the Knight Commission for a second-consecutive year. This prestigious honor reflects the core values that the conference and its member institutions practice every day by putting their student-athletes first. Our commitment to providing a positive broad-based experience has already been positively impacted through the C.A.R.E. grant and we look forward to building upon that this year.”
Metro Conference Commissioner Travis Telliltocci
“The Metro Conference is honored to be named a C.A.R.E. Model Champion by the Knight Commission for the third consecutive year. This renewal reflects not only our continued commitment to education-based values, gender equity, broad-based sport sponsorship, and financial responsibility, but the tangible ways we’ve put those values into practice, most notably through our assistant coach academy, which invests in the growth of the coaches who shape the daily student-athlete experience across our 13 member institutions. We’re grateful for the Knight Commission’s continued partnership and remain focused on building champions and leaders, in competition and beyond.”
Southern Conference Interim Commissioner Geoff Cabe
“Being recognized as a C.A.R.E. Champion for a third consecutive year is a meaningful reflection of the values that guide the Southern Conference. As the financial landscape of college athletics continues to change, we believe it is critically important that our decisions remain grounded in our educational mission and in what is best for our student-athletes. We are proud to be part of a group of conferences demonstrating that financial responsibility, competitive excellence and well-being of our student-athletes can remain at the center of how we operate.”
The Summit League Commissioner Josh Fenton
“The Summit League is honored to be recognized for a second-straight year by the Knight Commission for our commitment of equitable distribution of shared athletics revenue that positively impact the experiences of our student-athletes.”
Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel
“The Patriot League and our membership are grateful to the Knight Commission for its continued recognition and for the work it does to spotlight the importance of education, gender equity and student-athlete well-being. We are proud to maintain this status as we stay true to our mission of providing athletics opportunities that complement the educational experiences of our student-athletes.”
About the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. The Knight Commission, founded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in 1989, is an independent leadership group dedicated to reforms that prioritize college athletes’ education, health, safety, and success and strengthen the integrity of college sports. The Commission has a legacy of influencing NCAA policies that helped propel record-high graduation rates of Division I athletes. The Commission’s ongoing efforts focus on governance, equity, and financial reforms, as well as providing education on the changing landscape of college sports. For more, visit knightcommission.org.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more, visit knightfoundation.org.
Media Contacts
Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
Shoshanna Engel Lewis
CAREModelGrant@knightcommission.org
America East Conference
Sean Tainsh
tainsh@americaeast.com
Metro Conference
Jordan Sarfnoff
Jordan.Sarnoff@themetro.org
Patriot League
Ryan Sakamoto
rsakamoto@patriotleague.com
The Southern Conference
Ralan Wardlaw
rwardlaw@socon.org
The Summit League
Andrew Thurston
thurston@thesummitleague.org
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