A roundup of notable gifts compiled by the Chronicle:
OpenSats
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey gave $21 million through his #startsmall grant maker to the tech nonprofit OpenSats, to support free and open-source software projects, especially those focused on the development of new bitcoin research, development, and education.
Dorsey is known for launching the social media giant X (formerly known as Twitter), and the payment-processing platform Block (formerly called Square). He gave significant donations to pandemic relief and social-justice efforts in 2020 and 2021 and has appeared on the Chronicle’s annual Philanthropy 50 list of the biggest donors twice in recent years. He gave OpenSats $10 million last year.
University of California at Davis
Maria Manetti Shrem pledged $20 million to establish the Maria Manetti Shrem Arts Renaissance program, which will support the College of Letters and Science’s fine arts curriculum. While the donation is a planned estate gift, meaning the university will receive the money upon Shrem’s death, she is also giving an additional $800,000 annually until she dies to support eight new endowments. Three of the endowments will support new professorships in the College of Letters and Science, and art studios fellowships for graduate students.
Some of the pledge amount will back the university’s Maria Manetti Shrem Institute for Sustainable Design, Fashion and Textile in the Department of Design; and the California Studio: Manetti Shrem Artist Residencies, which brings in artists to to instruct and mentor students; and a visiting lecture series.
Shrem is originally from Florence, Italy. She moved to San Francisco in 1972 and co-founded Manetti Farrow, a luxury fashion retailer. She sold the business in 1992. With her husband, Jan Shrem, the couple previously owned Clos Pegase Winery in Calistoga, Calif.
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Laurence Belfer and his family pledged $20 million to back the Belfer Neurodegeneration Consortium, a program aimed to advance the study and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The family’s donation will be matched by other donors, and one of the university’s research buildings will be named for Belfer’s parents, Renee and Robert.
Laurence Belfer leads the family’s office, Belfer Management, which has holdings in the energy, real estate, and financial services industries. He previously served as vice-chairman, president, and chief operating officer of Belco Oil & Gas Corporation, a version of which was founded by his grandfather, Arthur Belfer during World War II.
What became the Belco Petroleum Corporation later merged with InterNorth, a predecessor to the now shuttered Enron Corporation. The Belfers were once the largest shareholders of Enron. With their latest pledge, the Belfer’s have given MD Anderson a total of $53.5 million over the last decade.
Hoag Hospital Foundation
George and Julia Argyros gave $15 million to support the Julia Argyros Center for Nursing Excellence, which provides continuing education scholarships for Hoag nurses who want to pursue additional coursework, accreditation, or advanced degrees.
George Argyros founded Arnel & Affiliates, a real-estate development and management company, in Costa Mesa, Calif., in 1968. He served as the U.S. ambassador to Spain and Andorra from 2001 to 2004. Including their latest gift, the couple have given the hospital more than $32 million over the years. One of their two daughters, Lisa Argyros, serves on the Hoag Hospital Foundation board of directors.
Valley City State University
Gary Tharaldson gave $5 million to expand the W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse, the North Dakota university’s 64-year-old main athletic building, and to support other campus building projects and scholarships. Tharaldson graduated from the university in 1967.
A hotel developer, Tharaldson founded Tharaldson Companies in 1982 when he bought a Super 8 Motel in Valley City, N.D. He went on to build and operate hundreds of hotels throughout the country and in 2006 he sold 130 of the company’s hotels to Goldman Sachs for roughly $1.2 billion.
Deborah Hospital Foundation
Joan Dembeck Zdanowicz left $4 million to support the newly named Joan Dembeck Zdanowicz Pediatric Cardiology Department and pay for advanced diagnostic equipment as well as new treatments and techniques to help patients with congenital or acquired heart conditions. Zdanowicz was a competitive figure skater who, after retiring from the pro skating circuit, coached skaters in Princeton, N.J. She died in 2022 at 90.
To learn about other big donations, see our database of gifts of $1 million or more, which is updated regularly.
