Daily News Roundup: Chicago Family Gives $100 Million for Immune-System Research

$100 Million Duchossois Gift Backs of U. of Chicago Medical Work: The donation from the family behind holding company the Duchossois Group will fund research on how bacteria in the body interact with the immune system and genes to keep people healthy, writes the Chicago Tribune. Half of the money comes from the family’s foundation, the other half from company CEO Craig Duchossois and his wife, Janet.

$75 Million From Michael Bloomberg Boosts New NYC Arts Venue: The funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies pushes the Shed Arts Center, slated to open in 2019, to within $80 million of a $500 million fundraising goal, reports The New York Times. The project received extensive city support late in Mr. Bloomberg’s tenure as New York’s mayor.

AIDS Groups Say Trump Cuts Could Cost 1 Million Lives: The Global Fund, amfAR, and other frontline health organizations predict a heavy toll, particularly in Africa, if the White House plan for a nearly 20 percent cut in U.S. spending on HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention worldwide is enacted, The New York Times writes. See Chronicle coverage of nonprofits’ response to President Trump’s proposed budget.

Conrad Prebys Foundation President Sues Board Over Payment to Donor’s Son: Debra Turner alleges breach of fiduciary duty by trustees who approved the $9 million settlement for Eric Prebys, the disinherited son of the fund’s billionaire namesake, the San Diego Reader reports. Ms. Turner was the longtime partner of Conrad Prebys, the San Diego property mogul and philanthropist who died last year.

Food Donations Slow as Hunger Spreads in Rural America: Food banks in economically distressed areas are struggling to keep pace as demand raises faster than rates of private giving, reports NPR. Some charities, feeling the squeeze on their efforts to provide food day-to-day, are focusing more resources on tackling unemployment, ill health, and other root causes of hunger in rural communities.