Banker to the Ultra Wealthy Pledges $150 Million to Aid Students from Rural and Small Towns
Plus, William & Mary lands $100 million for climate-related marine research, and the Brennan Center for Justice receives $30 million to back term limits, ethics rules, and other changes to the U.S. Supreme Court.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
UC Irvine Lands $50 million to Launch Population and Public Health School
Plus, the billionaire novelist Mackenzie Scott gave $20 million to Opportunity@Work to improve pay for people who gained skills on-the-job through military service, community college, workforce training programs, and other routes.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
University of Tulsa Scores $38 Million for Athletics
Plus, Eric and Wendy Schmidt pledged $5.5 million to NPR to bolster collaborative journalism nationwide, and a couple gave $4 million to expand the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
Denny Sanford Commits $35 Million for Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium
Also, Karen and William Davis gave $10 million to establish the Davis Family Center for Preventive Genomics at Endeavor Health, and Robert Kraft gave $1 million to Yeshiva U. to support students transferring to the Jewish university.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
NVIDIA Executive Gives $20 Million to Fight Cancer With A.I. Tools
Plus, contemporary ballet company BalletX received a $7.4 million bequest from an influential scholar of 17th- and 18th-century literature, and a Texas oil magnate gave Baylor Athletics $10 million.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Big Gifts Rise 6% This Year, Aided by a Single Giant Donation
Wealthy donors gave more than $5 billion in 2024, including a $1 billion donation to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Fundraisers are optimistic about the next six months of major donations.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Less Than 2% of Philanthropic Giving Goes to Women and Girls. Can Melinda French Gates Change That?
Her $1 billion commitment, announced Tuesday, and the momentum generated if others join her, could break through that ceiling.
By Thalia Beaty
Associated Press
OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Husband Among New Giving Pledge Signers
Plus, five other wealthy U.S. donors and a couple from Switzerland and New Zealand also signed the pledge to give away at least half of their wealth to charity.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Melinda French Gates Announces Where $1 Billion in New Funds Will Go to Help Women and Girls
The philanthropist asked a diverse group of leaders to take part in distributing some of the funds, and she’s financing a competition to attract new ideas to improve female health worldwide.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
Anonymous $10 Million Gift to a Climate Nonprofit Came Out of the Blue
The mystery contribution to Giving Green was made by a donor-advised fund at Fidelity Charitable.
Three Children’s Hospitals Land Gifts Totaling More Than $155 Million
Plus, Drake and Hofstra universities also landed huge sums, along with Jupiter Medical Center Foundation.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Mega-Gifts Are Funding University Tuitions. Which Students Do They Help?
In 2018, Michael Bloomberg gave $1.8 billion to Johns Hopkins to enable academically qualified low- and middle-income students attend his alma mater. The impact of this and other tuition-related gifts is becoming clear.
By Stephanie Beasley
Senior Writer
Belmont U. Lands $58 Million From Nashville Music Executive
Plus, St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation received $50 million from Florida’s Pagidipati family for a new pediatric hospital. Also, Hoag Hospital and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital landed big gifts.
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
Former Time Warner Cable CEO Leaves $150 Million to Dartmouth for Financial Aid
Also, the California Institute of Technology receives $100 million, and Kenneth Griffin gave $50 million to the Baptist Health Foundation.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
LaGuardia Community College Scores $116.2 Million From the Owners of the New York Mets
Also, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez have given two unrestricted gifts of $50 million each through their Courage and Civility Award, and two former professors at the University of Maryland at College Park have donated $27.2 million to its math department.
By M.J. Prest
Senior Editor, Solutions
Bill and Lisa Ford to Raise $10 Million for Detroit Youth Nonprofit Endowments
Ten nonprofits serving young people in Detroit will get an unusual, lasting gift as part of a campaign started by Lisa Ford and her husband, Bill Ford, the executive chair of Ford Motor Co.
By Thalia Beaty
Associated Press