No. 22: Irwin M. and Joan K. Jacobs

Biggest beneficiary: Joan and Irwin Jacobs Fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego

Other key beneficiary: San Diego Public Library Foundation

Donors’ background: Mr. Jacobs co-founded Qualcomm, a wireless-communications company in San Diego.

Mr. Jacobs, 78, and his wife, Joan, 79, gave $40-million to their Joan and Irwin Jacobs Fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego, where Mrs. Jacobs serves as vice chairwoman of the foundation’s Board of Directors. Through this fund, the couple awarded $4.5-million to support the High Tech Middle North County School, in San Diego and $3.5-million to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, to match money donated by other people for endowed professorships.

In addition, the couple awarded a total of $4.3-million through their fund to support scholarships and fellowships to American Society for Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Cornell University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California at San Diego.

The couple also gave $15-million to the San Diego Public Library Foundation for new building projects and $5-million to the San Diego Symphony for endowment. Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs also gave $4.9-million to other nonprofits in 2011. The Jacobses declined to name the recipients of that money.

—Maria Di Mento

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