Fundraising was started with a $1 million
USD donation from Stephen and Vicki Schultz. Naming rights were given based on a $4.5 million donation from the Polisseni Foundation (with backing from
B. Thomas Golisano) and were announced on November 11, 2011 during the men's hockey game against
Air Force. With arena construction being an estimated $30 million, the funding of the project has been divided into two components. The first half will be borrowed against RIT's endowment fund (worth $544 million), and paid back with sponsorship and ticket sales. The second half of the cost is a
grassroots fundraising effort called the Tiger Power Play. The Tiger Power Play is an effort to bring in both big name donations (like
Tom Golisano) as well as garner support from students and alumni. Small donations could be made by cell phone text message. Larger donations have been working directly with school administration. Sales of nameplates for seats is also available, initially costing $1,000 per nameplate, and later reduced to $500.
J. M. Allain, the former CEO of
Trans-Lux and an RIT graduate, donated $1 million for a new video scoreboard. ==Temporary closure==