Some of the big gifts made in December make the smaller ones requested by nonprofits in the final days of the year seem so reasonable. And then there’s also the closing window on charitable deductions.
Whatever your motivation, there are plenty of causes vying for attention right now, and the entries in the latest installment of the Bloomberg News Philanthropy Tracker just might inspire you. Ken Griffin got behind after-school soccer programs. An iconic movie house in the Hamptons will be saved. Howard G. Buffett gave a boost to a new academy focused on agribusiness careers.
To submit a gift to be considered for inclusion in the Philanthropy Tracker, please email [email protected].
December Gifts:
$250 million: Diana and Roy Vagelos, 88, former Merck CEO now chairman of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, to Columbia University’s medical school, mostly for student aid. The gift will also endow a professorship named after faculty member Tom Jacobs, an endocrinologist who volunteers with Physicians for Human Rights.
$165 million: Laura and Jack Dangermond, founders of mapping software company Esri, to the Nature Conservancy to purchase the Coco-Jalama Ranches in Santa Barbara County, California. The 24,000 acres contain oak woodlands, coastal prairies and beaches. The site is home to two private working cattle ranches, dozens of threatened species and prime surfing spots.
$50 million: Austin McChord, 32, founder and CEO of Datto Inc., a data security firm, to Rochester Institute of Technology for cybersecurity and entrepreneurship programs.
$25 million: Laurie and Jeff Ubben, 56, founder and CEO, Valueact Capital, to World Wildlife Fund for global conservation work with $5 million allotted for a partnership with Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment.
$22.5 million: Peter Werth, founder of generic drug developer and supplier ChemWerth, to University of Connecticut for entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives.
$20 million: Tashia and John Morgridge, 84, former CEO and chairman of Cisco Systems, to University of Wisconsin-Madison for faculty and scholarships.