Olivia Dunne, the Louisiana State University gymnast, social media influencer, and Sports Illustrated cover girl, has launched a fund to help other women athletes secure name, image and licensing (NIL) money.
The Livvy Fund will initially provide LSU female athletes with exclusive industry tips and connections Dunne has built. Dunne is considered by many to be the highest-paid female athlete in the country, earning a seven-figure income through NIL deals.
“I really just hope that [The Livvy Fund] is the first of many,” Dunne told SI Swimsuit. “I really hope to get as many women student athletes on board as I can. I want to continue to elevate women’s sports as a whole because they really deserve the same publicity as the men’s.
“We do equal work, we put in equal time in our facilities every day and in school. So, I feel like it would be right for this to be equal.”
Dunne is heading into her senior year at Louisiana State University as a member of the school’s gymnastics team. She has more than 4 million Instagram followers and 7.6 million acolytes on TikTok, meaning her posts are seen millions of times.
That has made her the top female social media influencer, worth an estimated $3.3 million and climbing. She revealed earlier this month that she has been paid more than $500,000 for a single social media post.
Dunne and her fellow athletes and influencers are the beneficiaries of a 2021 Supreme Court ruling that indicated the NCAA couldn’t stop athletes from capitalizing on their names, images and licensing. That has transformed so-called “amateur” sports and allowed its stars to capitalize on their success for the first time.
Dunne, 20, is set to embark on her senior year at LSU next month.
She said that she decided to start the Livvy Fund when she discovered that 66% of NIL funding for LSU athletes goes to male athletes.
“The collectives mostly go to the men’s sports here at LSU, and I just want to fight for equal NIL opportunities,” she said. “It’s very important to help educate other student athletes here at LSU on how to be a savvy businesswoman and how to partner with brands.
“Over the past two years, I’ve learned so much from these brands. So, I just want to help educate others and help give equal opportunities.”
Dunne indicated she hopes to expand the Livvy Fund to other college campuses in the future.
