Major Gifts

Former steel industry executive, the late William S. Dietrich II, has made plans to award gifts valued at more than $18 million to The Pittsburgh Foundation from his estate. The major share – over $10 million – will be used for grantmaking that addresses critical community needs in the Pittsburgh region.

Dietrich, who passed away earlier this month, has established three funds at the Foundation to support charitable initiatives in the communities of Conneaut Lake, Pa., and Greenville, Pa., as well as the Pittsburgh area.

The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University launched a free searchable database, the Million Dollar List, that captures 61,461 publicly announced charitable gifts of $1 million or more made since 2000.

The goal of the list is to give a picture of large gifts, including mega gifts of $50 million-plus. You can search by donor, recipient, location, and sector of giving to see trends, or use the advanced search feature. For each individual donor, there’s a list of his or her $1 million-plus gifts.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum received a gift of $17.2 million from the estate of Eric F. Ross. It is the largest single gift to the institution. Eric and his late wife, Lore, both of whom were refugees from Nazi Germany, donated more than $12 million to the institution during their lifetimes. In total, they have contributed more than $30 million to the Museum.

The University of Pittsburgh announced that well-known and highly respected business leader, investor, author and philanthropist William S. Dietrich II plans to make a gift of a $125 million fund in support of the university. This is the largest individual gift to Pitt in its 225-year history and is one of the 10 largest gifts made by an individual to a public university in the United States. The fund will become operational upon Dietrich’s passing.

Ted Hart speaks with Tom Wilson, vice president and western regional manager of nonprofit consulting firm Campbell & Co., about winning major gifts.

Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) announced a $25 million philanthropic partnership with Bob and Charlee Moore — founders of Milwaukie, Ore.-based Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods — to confront what is widely considered to be the world's greatest contributor to the rise of chronic disease: poor nutrition.

The Moores' $25 million commitment will establish the Bob and Charlee Moore Institute for Nutrition and Wellness at OHSU. Its ambitious aim: to halt the rampant health problems caused by unhealthy eating and inadequate nutrition through cutting-edge research and community outreach.

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce a $12 million gift from Bruce Jacobs and Kenneth Levy, classes of 1986 and 1982. The gift will include $10 million to establish the Jacobs Levy Equity Management Center for Quantitative Financial Research and $2 million to fund the Wharton-Jacobs Levy Prize for Quantitative Financial Innovation.

Jim Justice has fond memories of exploring West Virginia as a Cub and Boy Scout. The chief executive officer of Justice Family Group LLC announced a $25 million gift to the Boy Scouts of America, the largest single philanthropic donation he has made.

The money will support the creation of the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve, a 10,600-acre park near his home in Lewisburg, W.V., that will host the organization’s 2013 National Scout Jamboree.

Carnegie Mellon University has received a huge new pledge to expand its programs. The $265 million gift from William S. Dietrich II is one of the largest in recent years from an individual to a private university, and the largest in the school's history, officials told The Associated Press.

The recession has impacted charitable giving, and the Dietrich pledge may be part of a resurgence. Last week the University of Southern California announced a $6 billion capital campaign, and the Dietrich pledge brought Carnegie Mellon close to meeting its $1 billion campaign.

Administrators at Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School said they plan to build an advanced science and math facility with a $21.5 million donation, the largest in the school's history.

MICDS, an independent college prepatory school in Ladue, Mo., announced the gift from the James McDonnell family.

The gift also is the second largest to a grade or high school in the region, behind a $28 million donation in November 2009 to Chaminade College Prep.