Endowments

Donald P. Bellisario, a 1961 Penn State graduate and the creator of programs who changed the landscape of American television, has made one of the largest gifts in the history of the university. The acclaimed writer, producer and director of shows such as "Magnum P.I.," "Quantum Leap" and "NCIS" has committed $30 million to support communications…

A $5 million donation to a university in Northeast Ohio will enable construction of a museum centering on Native American artifacts and research. University of Akron president Matthew Wilson said the donation from Jim and Vanita Oelschlager will be used to construct The Oak Native American Museum, as part of the Institute for Human Science…

Joan McGrath and her husband, Robert, have donated $10 million to the University of San Francisco to dramatically expand scholarships for Catholic school teaching programs at USF’s School of Education, create a new multidisciplinary student leadership institute and endow scholarships for undergraduate students to enroll in international immersion opportunities. The McGrath gift represents the largest…

Southeastern Louisiana University receives a $10 million bequest, the largest single donation in its history. SLU spokesperson Mike Rivault says Seth Ryan, a graduate from the Class of 1953, became an anonymous donor 15 years ago. He says Ryan donated much of his estate to the university when he passed away several weeks ago. “Because…

In a tremendous show of support for the world’s wildlife and wildlands, the Sangreal Foundation this week made a $10 million matching gift to Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC). The 2017 challenge grant will match donations to GWC dollar-for-dollar, doubling the impact of contributions to GWC’s critical mission of conserving the diversity of life on Earth.…

Investment with a clear benefit to society is increasingly claiming imaginations across the world amid the challenges the world faces in 2017. The Ford Foundation, an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization, gave impact investment a significant boost when it announced that it is committing up to $1 billion from its $12 billion endowment over the next…

Thanks to a substantial gift from one of the world’s leading global food companies, JBS USA, Colorado State University has begun construction on the JBS Global Food Innovation Center in Honor of Gary and Kay Smith, a new $15 million facility that will advance best practices in food safety, meat sciences and animal handling and…

The George Lucas Family Foundation has granted the USC School of Cinematic Arts with a second endowment of $10 million to provide financial support to African-American and Hispanic students, raising the foundation’s student diversity support effort to $20 million. The foundation was established at the school in the fall 2016 semester with an initial $10…

The University of Washington took an ambitious step today to assert its leadership in computer science education, research and entrepreneurial innovation with the establishment of the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. The Board of Regents voted to name the school after Allen—the internationally renowned entrepreneur, philanthropist and computing pioneer—in recognition of…

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund has received a $10 million grant for its proposed education center adjacent to its famous memorial on the National Mall in Washington. The VVMF said the grant from the Lilly Endowment is the largest single cash donation in VVMF’s 37-year history. VVMF has been trying to raise money to build the underground education…