Major Gift editorial, Sept. 28, 2009

The National AHP Conference in San Francisco helped to form the backdrop last week for another collection of major gifts celebrations across the country. While development staff and key volunteers were attending information sessions, networking amongst peers and taking in some California sunshine another $276 million in major gifts made national news. Leading the way was the $90 million gift to support the UMass School of Medicine at Worcester followed closely by an estate gift of $85 million to Marist College.

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Major Gift Report summary, Sept. 14 to 18, 2009

Major Gifts & Named Gifts Highlights in the USA - $200.25 million announced
Week of September 14 to 18, 2009

Washington, D.C.	Sheik Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation named at the Children's National Medical Center for this gift from the government of Abu Dhabi. The gift was arranged by Joseph E. Robert Jr. who has ties with members of the UAE's royal family	$150 million
New York, NY	New York Philharmonic gift from Henry Kravis in order to endow its composer-in-residence program and establish an award for composers of contemporary classical music who asked the program be named after his wife Marie-Josée Kravis	$10 million
Columbus, OH	Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum named at Ohio State University from the Elizabeth Ireland Graves Charitable Trust, which manages the estate of Ireland, who produced editorial and locally themed Sunday cartoons for the Columbus Dispatch	$7 million
Calumet, IN	Purdue Operation Diploma gift from the Lilly Endowment	$5.8 million
Los Angeles, CA	Kiesner Center for Entrepreneurship named at Loyola Marymount University for gift from thanks to the generosity of the Valenta Family	$5 million
Syracuse, NY	Le Moyne College received an anonymous gift to help fund elements of the school's strategic initiative plan	$4 million
Roanoke, VA	The James S. McDonnell Family Foundation pledge over three years to Hollins University to renovate its’ theatre	$3 million
Raleigh, NC	A gift from Keith & Margaret Collins to North Carolina State University College of Engineering and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to establish a professorship, scholarships and provide funding for the J.C. Raulston Arboretum	$2.5 million
Sonoma, CA	Rodney & Charlotte Strong estate gift to Healdsburg animal shelter	$2.4 million
Charlotte, NC	Gift from the family of C. D. Spangler Jr., the construction magnate and former president of the University of North Carolina, through its C. D. Spangler Foundation, and a second $1 million gift from Jane and Hugh L. McColl Jr. Mr. McColl retired as the chief executive of Bank of America in 2001 to the Charlotte Symphony	$1 million + $1 million
St. Clair County, MI	The Community Foundation of St. Clair County received an anonymous gift from a local philanthropist	$1.8 million
Griswold, CT	Estate gift from Wanda Brunet  will aid Griswold High School grads	$1.5 million
Lincoln, NE	The Kit & Dick Schmoker Reading Center in honor of the donors at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln campus	$1 million
Brandeis, MA	Brandeis University chapels to be renovated gift from anonymous donor	$1 million
Boulder, CO	Estate gift from Walter and Lucienne Driskill to the University of Colorado, History Department to teach Western American History	$750,000
San Antonio, TX	Boza Becica was 96 when she passed away in 2008, a former linguistics professor, and made an estate gift to the San Antonio Library	$513,858
Chicago, IL	Philip H. Corboy Law Center named after private gift made to the Loyola University Chicago School of Law	Private Gift
Dallas, TX	AT&T Performing Arts Center named in private sponsorship	Private Gift
Amherst, MA	Gift of 150 photos by iconic pop artist Andy Warhol to UMass, Amherst, through the Warhol Foundation	Gift in Kind
	International Philanthropy
Victoria, BC Canada	Gift for B.C. cancer care from Thrifty Foods in British Columbia	$1 million
Toronto, ON Canada	Linehan Foundation gift to the Canadian Film Center Actors Conservatory that named Kiefer Sutherland as the recipient of the newly created endowed chair. Sutherland is the Canadian star of the hit TV series 24	$1 million

 

Major Gift Research editorial September 21, 2009

Weekly Named Gift Report editorial
September 21st, 2009
by Terry Burton
 

International relations was center stage last week as the spotlight of philanthropy was brightly focused on the Children’s Medical Center in Washington, D.C. with the announcement of a gift of $150 million from the royal family in Abu Dhabi.

According to Edwin K. Zechman Jr., President of Children's Medical Center, the money could revolutionize the hospital and the entire field of pediatric surgery.

The transformational gift will allow the hospital to hire more than 100 surgeons, researchers and staff members over the next few years.

For decades US citizens have earned high praise for their generosity and financial support of international causes. This gift from the royal family in the United Arab Emirates is a beautiful example of the global reach philanthropy.

In appreciation for the generosity of this donation the Sheik Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation has been named, a place where doctors will collaborate across disciplines to improve surgery for children. According to news sources the gift was arranged by Joseph Robert Jr., a noted philanthropist himself and his personal ties with members of the royal family of Abu Dhabi.

Mega gifts of this sort, have a profound effect. The news of them brush by and momentarily surround us with a genuine sense of movement towards the greater good.

Ten years ago people in the development community were talking about the coming transfer of wealth from the baby boomer generation to family heirs and it was hoped to nonprofit causes. Isn’t it great to see how this has evolved into so much more? Ownership of wealth is an accomplishment, sharing of wealth is engaging future opportunities. And what a legacy that is.

Major Gift Report summary Sept 8 to 11, 2009

 Major Gifts in the USA - $132 million +
Week of July 27 to 31, 2009

Year To Date: Over $6.7 billion in our lists

Boston, MA	Bernard Gordon gift to the Gordon Institute to the School of Engineering to advance its engineering leadership education programs. It is the 2nd mega gift from Gordon who gave $35 million in 1984 to establish the Gordon Institute	$40 million
Pittsburgh, PA	Gates Center for Computer Science named for gift to Carnegie Mellon University, from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation	$20 million
Coral Gables, FL	Warrington Faculty Fellows Endowment established with this new gift at the Warrington School of Business from Al Warrington, the school already named for him	$16 million
Pittsburgh, PA	Hillman Center for Future-Generation Technologies named for gift to Carnegie Mellon University, from Pittsburgh philanthropists Henry and Elsie Hillman Foundation	$10 million
Minneapolis, MN	Major gift to just opened TCF Stadium at the University of Minnesota included: Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community gift of $10 million; Dairy Queen gift of $2.5 million; Best Buy gift of $2.5 million	$10 million + $2.5 million + $2.5 million
Syracuse, NY	Golisano Children's Hospital named for gift to University Hospital	$6 million
Akron, OH	Summa Health Field named for sponsorship gift to the University of Akron, 20 year term	$5 million
Topeka, KS	Richard K. & Trish Davidson, of Bonita Springs, Florida to Washburn University to increase support for faculty professorships and chairs in the School of Business	$5 million
Braddock Heights, MD	Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration received as estate gift from Marybell Everhart and administered by the Community Foundation of Frederick	$3 million
Richmond, VA	Carole and Marcus Weinstein gift to Davidson College	$2.2 million
Happy Valley, PA	The Joel N. Myers Weather Center named at Penn State for gift from the founder, president and chairman of AccuWeather, Inc., Joel Myers	$2 million
Port Townsend, WA	Chandler Building named at Northwest Maritime Center for gift from the Camilla Chandler Foundation	$1 million
Lancaster, PA	Patricia E. Harris Center for Business, Government and Public Policy named at Franklin & Marshall College for gift from long time friend and philanthropist Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York	$1 million
Toledo, OH	The Harold & Helen McMaster Foundation of Toledo challenge grant of up to $1 million to the Toledo Symphony for its education and outreach programs	$1 million
Knoxville, TN	Peyton Manning and his wife Ashley gift to the University of Tennessee for a new athletic training facility, locker roomed named in honor of gift	$1 million
Pittsburgh, PA	Richard Simmons gives Pittsburgh Symphony challenge grant	$1 million
Morgantown, WV	Murray Endowed Chair of Mining Engineering established at West Virginia University	$1 million
Los Angeles, CA	Simon Ramo Recital Hall named at USC for gift from Virginia and Simon Ramo	$800,000
Stanley County, NC	Duke Endowment gift to Village Church at Pfeiffer University	$67,300
New York, NY	Gerstein Fisher Research Center for Finance named at Polytechnic Institute of New York University, a gift from Gregg S. Fisher, president and chief investment officer of Gerstein Fisher, an independent full-service financial advisory firm based in Manhattan	Private Gift
Whitewater WI	Hyland Hall named at University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, School of Business	Private Gift
Dayton, OH	Soin Pediatric Trauma and Emergency Center named for a private gift at the Children’s Medical Center of Dayton	Private Gift
	International Philanthropy
Waterloo, ON	Wilfrid Laurier University gift from anonymous donor to establish endowed chair in the Faculty of Arts	$2.5 million
Peterboro, ON, Canada	Morton Community Healthcare Centre named for gift from local philanthropists Patricia and David Morton at Lakeland Primary Healthcare Centre	$500,000

Major Gift Report editorial September 11, 2009

Confidence level rebounding for major gifts The first full week of September offered more examples of the growing confidence in asking for and receiving major gifts in the nonprofit sector. For the second week in a row, the dollar amount of named and major gifts announced publicly surpassed the $100 million mark.

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