Michael and Noémi Neidorff Pledge $5 Million for Medical Research (Gifts Roundup)

A roundup of notable gifts compiled by the Chronicle:

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Michael and Noémi Neidorff pledged $5 million to establish and endow two new professorships that will support research efforts in virology and immunology, and help to speed the institution’s research into drugs and vaccines needed to put an end to the pandemic.

Michael Neidorff is chairman, president, and CEO of Centene Corporation, a managed-care company that acts as an intermediary for privately insured and government-sponsored health care programs.

Noémi Neidorff is a classically trained pianist who was born in Budapest and fled the country with her parents during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

Northern Illinois Food Bank

Neal and Lois Oppenheimer left $1.6 million to back hunger programs for children, seniors, and families in need. The couple were longtime donors to the food bank.

A schoolteacher early in his career, Neal Oppenheimer went on to work for the Montgomery Ward department store chain for more than 30 years and retired in 2003. He died last year. Lois Oppenheimer worked for Wheat Ridge Ministries, now called We Raise Foundation, an Itasca, Ill., nonprofit that gives seed money to Lutheran ministries. She died in 2018.

American College of Financial Services

Christopher Blunt and Gretchen Nickel gave $1 million to establish the Blunt-Nickel Professorship in Philanthropy. Blunt is president and CEO of F&G, an annuity and life-insurance company in Des Moines. Nickel is a partner at MFP Technology Services, where she also serves as the firm’s chief financial officer.

Deborah Hospital Foundation

Hilda Groth donated $1 million to back the Deborah Heart and Lung Center’s efforts to build new space for patients that will include private suites and upgrade the medical center’s technology. Groth is the widow of William Groth, who worked as a tool-and-die maker for the Walter Kidde Corporation in Fairfield, N.J. He died last year.

Des Moines Area Community College

Mark and Jill Oman gave $1 million to support a joint program between the college and the University of Northern Iowa that is designed for students to complete their first two years at the community college and the remaining two years online through the university.

Mark Oman founded the Des Moines investment firm Oman Capital. The couple are UNI alumni. Mark Oman is a first-generation college student who said he wanted to help others receive the same benefits that a bachelor’s degree provided him.

To learn about other big donations, see our database of gifts of $1 million or more, which is updated throughout the week.