S.D. Human-Service Group Lands $55 Million; Holocaust Museum Gets $2 Million: Gifts Roundup

A roundup of notable gifts compiled by the Chronicle:

Children’s Home Society of South Dakota

Billionaire banker Denny Sanford gave $55 million to the 125-year-old human-service organization that helps families, individuals, and children who have experienced domestic violence, abuse, neglect, or other traumatic life events.

The gift will go toward expanding the group’s Children’s Inn Shelter and to create an endowment to support the hiring and retention of more staff.

Sanford is chairman of United National Corporation, a banking company in Sioux Falls, S.D., and has given extensively to nonprofits that help children and youths, including a $100 million donation he made last year for an emotional learning program for children.

He has also given big to education and health care and has appeared on the Chronicle’s annual Philanthropy 50 list of the biggest donors 8 times since 2005.

The Shed at Hudson Yards

Jonathan and Lizzie Tisch donated $27.5 million to back construction of the new arts center, with $10 million of that a challenge gift to raise additional donations for the Commissioning Fund, which will support the creation of new works.

Jonathan Tisch, a Loews Corporation heir, is chairman emeritus the U.S. Travel Association and a former chief executive of Loews Hotels. He appeared on the Philanthropy 50 in 2006.

Lizzie Tisch is a former vice president at Salomon Smith Barney, an investment firm that merged with Morgan Stanley in 2009. She managed the firm’s effort to attract women clients.

Northwestern Medicine

Michael and Tanya Polsky pledged $10 million to create the Polsky Urologic Cancer Institute of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, a new institute focused on treating urologic cancers.

Michael Polsky founded the clean-energy company, Invenergy and appeared on the Philanthropy 50 in 2016.

Tanya Polsky is a former finance executive at the now defunct global financial services firm, Lehman Brothers.

University of Notre Dame

Anthony and Christie de Nicola gave $10 million to expand the Center for Ethics and Culture, which will be named for them.

Their gift will help the center support fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students; back academic research, programs, and publishing; expand its pro-life programs; and support its faculty hiring efforts.

Tony de Nicola is the president and managing partner of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, a New York investment firm. The couple are parents of two recent Notre Dame alumni.

Texas A&M University Health Science Center

Joe and Sue Knowles pledged $7 million to create and endow scholarships for both the College of Medicine and College of Nursing, with an emphasis on supporting those who plan to serve in rural areas.

Joe Knowles is a physician who practiced medicine in Borger, Tex., for 30 years. He earned an undergraduate degree at Texas A&M in 1950 before heading to medical school at University of Texas at Galveston. He served in the U.S. Air Force after medical school.

The couple said in a news release that they are giving the money to support both physicians and nurses because the two roles form an important medical team, and they see teamwork and trust as a crucial component to success for medical professionals everywhere, particularly those serving in rural areas.

Cape Cod Community College

Maureen Wilkens donated $5 million to help build the college’s new science and engineering building.

Wilkens is the widow of Frank Wilkens, who founded Wilkens and Nanovic, a corporate pension-funds management firm. He died in 2011. During his lifetime, the couple endowed scholarships at the college for students who are single parents and backed the renovation of the college’s nursing lab.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Former U.S. Ambassador Carl Spielvogel, and his wife, Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, pledged $2 million to endow programs in education, scholarships, and genocide prevention and to ensure the permanence of Holocaust memory, understanding, and relevance.

Carl Spielvogel is a former U.S. ambassador to the Slovak Republic, appointed by President Clinton in 1999 and served in that role until 2001. He founded Carl Spielvogel Associates, an international investment, management and marketing company, and co-founded the advertising firm Backer and Spielvogel.

Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel is a historian and author whose work has focused on art, architecture, historic preservation, and public policy in the United States. She served as New York’s first director of cultural affairs and as New York City Landmarks Preservation Commissioner. She was appointed to the museum’s Board of Trustees by President Reagan, to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts by President Clinton, and to the American Battle Monuments Commission by President Obama.

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