Ronald Lauder Gives $25 Million to Fight Anti-Semitism (Gifts Roundup)

A roundup of notable gifts compiled by the Chronicle:

Anti-Semitism Accountability Project

Former U.S. ambassador and cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder gave $25 million to launch the Anti-Semitism Accountability Project, which plans to run ads and organize efforts to oppose politicians, celebrities, and institutions that appear to normalize anti-Semitism.

Lauder is the son of the late Estée Lauder and Joseph Lauder who founded Estée Lauder Companies. He served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy at the Department of Defense in 1984 and was appointed ambassador to Austria in 1986 by President Reagan.

A billionaire whose wealth Forbes has been pegged at $4.3 billion, he founded WRL Water, a water-treatment company, and merged it with Emefcy, an Israeli sewage-treatment firm in a $100 million deal in 2017.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Min and Fan Kao gave $20 million through their Kao Family Foundation to establish the Kao Autoimmunity Institute, where scientists will work on advancing research and treatment of rheumatologic diseases.

Some of the money will go toward creating the Scleroderma Program, which will back research and treatment.

An electrical engineer by training, Min Kao conducted research for NASA and the U.S. Army and worked as a systems analyst for Teledyne Systems. In 1989 he co-founded the Garmin Corporation, a manufacturer of GPS devices.

Lincoln Park Zoo

Richard and Roxelyn Pepper gave $15 million to renovate the zoo’s historic lion house and its lion habitat, which will be renamed the Pepper Family Wildlife Center.

Richard Pepper is the chairman emeritus of Pepper Construction Group, a Chicago construction company his father, Stanley Pepper, founded in 1927.

Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Joseph and Linda Chlapaty donated $15 million to support cardiovascular research programs and the construction of a new interdisciplinary research building.

Joseph Chlapaty is the chief executive officer of Advanced Drainage Systems, in Hilliard, Ohio. The couple said in a news release that they were inspired to give the money after Joseph was treated for atrial fibrillation at the university’s Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital.

University of Houston

Cyvia Grossberg Wolff gave $13 million through the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Family Foundation to support the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, an undergraduate program. Wolff and her late husband, Melvyn, established the program with an initial gift in 2007.

The money will be used to create three endowments, which will support professorships and student programs.

Wolff serves on the university’s Board of Visitors Public Art Task Force, and its Campaign Executive Committee. Melvyn Wolff, who died in 2017, was chairman of his family’s Star Furniture company, which he sold to Berkshire Hathaway in 1997.

University of California at Los Angeles

Kenneth and Elizabeth Whitney pledged $10 million to the School of Theater, Film and Television to renovate its historic Ralph Freud Playhouse.

Elizabeth Whitney is a theater producer and a former TV and stage actress. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the School of Theater, Film and Television in 1980.

Kenneth Whitney manages the family’s investment office, which is focused on startup businesses and entertainment projects. He is also a Broadway producer. He was previously a senior managing director and head of Blackstone’s investor relations and business development group.

University of Pennsylvania

Jon and Mindy Gray gave $10 million for financial aid for undergraduate students from New York City and to support the Penn First Plus program which provides scholarships for students from low-income families or who are the first in their families to attend college.

Jon Gray is president and chief operating officer of the Blackstone Group, an investment firm in New York, and chairman of the hotel corporation, Hilton Worldwide.

Mindy Gray helped start New York City Kids RISE, a nonprofit that provides scholarships and other aid to families and schools. The couple graduated from the university in 1992.

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