A roundup of notable gifts compiled by The Chronicle:
Chan Zuckerberg Foundation and Chan Zuckerberg Donor Advised Fund
Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, a pediatrician, gave about $2 billion to two of their philanthropies to support criminal-justice overhaul, education, housing, and science.
The couple gave 10.3 million shares of Facebook stock valued at nearly $1.9 billion to the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation, the 501(c)(3) arm of their Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and 900,800 shares valued at almost $162.4 million to the Chan Zuckerberg Donor-Advised Fund at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
The couple have given billions in recent years and have landed on The Chronicle’s Philanthropy 50 list of the most generous donors several times.
University of California at San Francisco
David Mortara donated $25 million to the School of Nursing to reduce “alarm fatigue” in nurses and other clinicians and to improve patient care and safety.
Alarm fatigue occurs when nurses and others become desensitized to the constant noise of alarms and either ignore them or turn them off. Detrimental results include anxiety among hospital staff and patients, sleep deprivation in patients, and missed life-threatening heart-rhythm events.
A physicist by training, Mr. Mortara is considered a pioneer in the development of computerized electrocardiogram technology. He founded Mortara Instrument, a manufacturer of noninvasive cardiology products. The company was acquired by Hill-Rom earlier this year.
The donation will enable nursing researchers to work directly with UCSF hospitals and medical companies to address the high error rate in hospital ECG equipment that leads to millions of unnecessary alarms each month in hospital units.
University of Texas at Austin
Jeff and Mindy Hildebrand gave $25 million through their Hildebrand Foundation to support the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, which will be named for them.
Mr. Hildebrand founded Hilcorp Energy Company. He earned a master’s degree in petroleum engineering and a bachelor’s degree in geology from the university and currently serves as vice chairman of the University of Texas System Board of Regents.
Ms. Hildebrand earned a bachelor’s degree in management from the McCombs School of Business, and serves on the business school’s advisory board.
Cleveland Orchestra
Richard and Emily Smucker pledged $15 million for endowment and artistic and education programs, with an emphasis on programming for young people. Of the total, the Smuckers have directed $3 million to attract donations from other donors.
Richard Smucker is executive chairman of his family’s J.M. Smucker Company, a manufacturer of fruit spreads and other foods. He is the current board president of the orchestra and has served on its Board of Trustees since 1989.
Institute for Clinical and Economic Review
John and Laura Arnold committed $13.9 million through their Laura and John Arnold Foundation to back efforts to change the way new prescription drugs are evaluated and priced and ensure ongoing access to drug treatments for all patients.
John Arnold is the retired founder of Centaurus Energy, a hedge fund, and Ms. Arnold is a former corporate lawyer.
They have appeared on The Chronicle’s annual Philanthropy 50 list of the most generous donors for the last six years.
University of Michigan
Dave Barger pledged $10 million to the Barger Leadership Institute for leadership programs for students in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
Mr. Barger is a retired JetBlue Airways chief executive. In 2007, he gave the university $4.5 million to help establish the institute and create scholarships and professorships there.
Texas Tech
Dusty and Leisha Womble gave $10 million gift to construct the Dustin R. Womble Basketball Practice Facility.
Mr. Womble founded Interactive Computer Designs, which he sold to Tyler Technologies in 1998. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from the university in 1981.
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
George and Debra Couch pledged $10 million to endow research dedicated to personalized-medicine programs aimed at changing the way disease is diagnosed and treated.
Mr. Couch founded Couch Distributing Company, and Ms. Couch owns the Debra C clothing boutique, in Carmel, Calif.
To learn about other big donations, see our database of gifts of $1 million or more, which is updated throughout the week.
