Fundraising effort will support national and local charities

Women’s basketball fans will have the opportunity to be represented at the Women’s Final Four in San Antonio as part of a new fan cutout program that will support several causes.

All proceeds from the cutout program will benefit three nonprofits: the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, which awards research grants and funds programs to serve the underserved in the fight against all cancers affecting women; the Pat Summitt Foundation, which funds research for treatment and a cure for Alzheimer’s disease while supporting patients and caregivers; and the San Antonio Food Bank, which serves hundreds of thousands of individuals at risk for hunger across southwest Texas.

“This fan cutout initiative provides an opportunity for women’s basketball fans — who have passionately supported the growth of the game — to continue to make an impact during an unprecedented year,” said Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president of women’s basketball. “While the program will enhance the in-venue experience for participating teams, it will more importantly support causes that are close to the hearts of the women’s basketball and San Antonio communities.”

Cutouts at the Women’s Final Four will be interspersed with limited fan seating available for the games. Earlier this year, the NCAA announced in conjunction with local health officials that tournament venues in San Antonio would host up to 17% capacity with masking and physical distancing of fans.

Cutouts will be featured inside the Alamodome for the Women’s Final Four semifinal games and the national championship game. Sales begin today and conclude Sunday, March 28. Cutouts cost $100 and can be purchased at ncaa.com/womens-final-four. Current college students can purchase cutouts at a discounted rate of $50 with their school email address.

For an additional fee, fans can choose to ship the cutouts home afterward to keep as a memento. Any cutouts that are not purchased will be recycled after the event.

“The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is honored and grateful to be a beneficiary of the NCAA’s fan cutouts initiative at the 2021 Women’s Final Four. We continue to be so appreciative of the impact women’s basketball is making in the fight against all cancers affecting women,” said Kay Yow Cancer Fund CEO, Stephanie Glance. “Coach Yow loved the championship, and she believed in the power of uniting people for a common cause. What better way to show our unity at this time than through a fan-based initiative that will be a visible display of support at the championship.”

“It is such an honor to be chosen by the NCAA to be featured as one of the three charities of choice for this amazing initiative,” said Joan Cronan, advisory board chair for the Pat Summitt Foundation. “We are grateful to be featured alongside the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and the San Antonio Food Bank. Thank you to the NCAA for supporting our mission to defeat Alzheimer’s and carrying on coach Summitt’s legacy.” 

“In a time when the pandemic has brought fear and isolation, San Antonio Sports has brought us the NCAA Women’s Final Four,” said Eric Cooper, president and CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank. “Watching the NCAA Women’s Final Four will feed the soul of fans across the world, while the fundraising from the tournament will help the San Antonio Food Bank to feed the hungry across our community. I encourage fans to follow the example of the NCAA Women’s Final Four by supporting your local Feeding America food bank so we can ensure that all our neighbors who struggle to put food on the table get nourished.”