FARMINGTON, Utah (Sept. 16, 2025) – The Big Sky Conference was one of six Division I conferences that was awarded a grant and recognition through the Knight Commission's C.A.R.E. Model program after meeting criteria for "Connecting Athletics Revenues with the Educational Model of College Sports."
The America East Conference, the Patriot League, and the Summit League are recipients of $25,000 C.A.R.E. Model Conference Grants. In addition, three inaugural C.A.R.E. Champion Conferences, the Big Sky Conference, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), and the Southern Conference, continue as C.A.R.E. Champions for a second year and each receive a $10,000 continuation grant. The financial awards recognize and support each conference's commitment to the C.A.R.E. Model principles in their distribution and use of shared athletics revenues.
"On behalf of our membership, the Big Sky Conference is honored to once again be recognized as a C.A.R.E. Champion," Commissioner Wistrcill said. "This continued distinction affirms our commitment to aligning athletics with the core educational values that define our league and its 13 member institutions. Each year we proudly support more than 3,700 student-athletes in their academic and athletic pursuits, and the C.A.R.E. Model helps ensure that our financial decisions reflect our mission and values."
Knight Commission Co-Chair Pam Bernard said, "These six Division I conferences are leaders in connecting their revenues with the education-based values that make college sports special. The Knight Commission is honored to recognize them."
“One of the distinguishing characteristics of a C.A.R.E. Champion conference is having gender equitable financial incentives,” said Len Elmore, Knight Commission Co-Chair. “Incentives reflect values, and the C.A.R.E. Champion conferences are to be commended for embedding their values in their annual revenue distributions."
Among other criteria, the gender equity incentive standard requires that if a conference financially rewards team success, such as postseason performance, any annual rewards must be provided equally for the success of men's and women's teams.
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 ensure that both the distribution and spending of shared athletics revenue prioritize supporting 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
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 financial framework positively impacts student-athletes' experiences.
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 group that leads transformational change to prioritize college athletes’ education, health, safety, and success. Knight Foundation has been its sole funder to ensure its independence. For more information about the Commission’s impact, recommendations, and reports, 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 kf.org.
About the Big Sky Conference
Founded in 1963, the Big Sky Conference is a NCAA Division I conference competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Big Sky prides itself on its “#ExperienceElevated” platform that emphasizes the unique traits and lifelong benefits that the conference and its member institutions provide to more than 3,700 student-athletes each year. Conference members have won 13 NCAA championships, including seven in football by five different members as well as six of the last nine Division I men’s cross country titles by NAU.