February 10, 2014 | Read Time: 1 minute
Amount donated in 2013: $50-million
Beneficiary: David H. Murdock Research Institute
Background: Mr. Murdock is owner and chairman of the Dole Food Company, in Westlake Village, Calif., and the owner and chief executive of Castle & Cooke, a real-estate development company.
Mr. Murdock, 90, pledged $50-million to the David H. Murdock Research Institute, for operating costs. The institute focuses its research in three areas, agriculture, human health, and nutrition, and is part of the North Carolina Research Campus, which Mr. Murdock founded in 2005.
The donor has long supported the organizations. Excluding last year’s pledge, Mr. Murdock has given a total of $135.3-million to the institute over the past five years to support research and operations, and he serves as chairman of the institute’s Board of Trustees. He has also given more than $600-million to support overall infrastructure and construction at North Carolina Research Campus.
The Philanthropy 50: Browse the full list of America’s most generous donors in 2013.
Learn more: See this donor’s listing in our database of major gifts, America’s Top Donors.
