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OC’s Largest Gifts Create New Schools, Medical Centers

Last year represented a record fundraising year for many of Orange County’s educational and healthcare institutions.

Donations from local philanthropists and foundations have gone toward establishing new schools and medical facilities, including an upcoming “state-of-the-art” rehab facility at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian’s Newport Beach campus funded by a $25 million gift from the Martin and Pickup families.

“Our hope is that the Martin/Pickup family gift to the CareMar Center will inspire others in our community who share a similar passion for a community-based recovery facility to make large gifts which would provide additional philanthropic support to enhance the programming and provide financial assistance for recovery patients who reside in Orange County,” both families said in a statement to the Business Journal last October.

Hoag Hospital Foundation last year received three gifts totaling $65 million, the second highest amount on this year’s iteration of the Largest Charitable Gifts, which measures donations of $1 million or more to Orange County recipients.

Altogether, the list shows 92 donations totaling $402.1 million, a 7% decrease from the prior year.

In 2024, there were nine gifts that exceeded $10 million or more.

UC Irvine Receives Top 2 Gifts

The top two gifts on the list, tied at $50 million, went to the University of California, Irvine.
Last June, the university announced that it received $50 million from biotech entrepreneur and founder of Aliso Viejo-based genetic testing firm Ambry Genetics, Charles Dunlop.

UC Irvine named its school of biological sciences after Dunlop in honor of his gift. The gift also helped create an endowed fund to support faculty recruitment and the development of new programs.

The second $50 million gift came a month later from Joe Wen, founder of multinational conglomerate Formosa Ltd., for the creation of a new school of public health.

Wen’s gift elevated the existing program into the Joe C. Wen School of Population and Public Health, becoming the first school of public health in OC and the first UC school to be named after a Taiwanese American.

Last year represented a record fundraising year for UC Irvine, raising $343 million for its Brilliant Future campaign.

UC Irvine last month hit another major milestone, announcing that it surpassed its $2 billion fundraising goal nine months ahead of schedule.

Brian Hervey, vice chancellor for university advancement and alumni relations, as well as president of the UC Irvine Foundation, said the campaign is about “creating opportunities, solving global challenges and leaving an indelible mark on society.”

“With our philanthropic partners, we’re committed to making a positive difference in the world,” Hervey said in a statement.

One of those partners is Laguna Beach philanthropist and businessman Alec Glasser. Last year, he donated $1.5 million to UC Irvine. Last month, he made a bigger donation of an undisclosed amount that helped the university cross the finish line months early on its campaign goal of raising $2 billion by October (see story, page 32).

UC Irvine led the donor list for the fourth year in a row, receiving 27 gifts totaling in $180.8 million.

Chapman University, CHOC

Chapman University in Orange received the second-most donations with nine gifts totaling $24 million.

Like UC Irvine, it was “one of the best fundraising years in Chapman’s history,” according to Executive Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer Matt Parlow, who is slated to become the school’s next president in September.

“Chapman University continues to experience a tremendous amount of momentum, and our friends and supporters have helped us elevate our work and deepen our mission through significant gifts like those reflected on this list,” Parlow told the Business Journal.

Parlow said that Chapman altogether raised $60 million for its $500 million Inspire campaign in 2024, bolstered by gifts from Ronald M. Simon Family Foundation and Alexander and Lori Hayden for scholarships and a new school of real estate, respectively.

The campaign recently surpassed $400 million to date, according to Parlow.

It publicly launched in 2023 and has been led by Parlow.

Behind Chapman, the Children’s Hospital of Orange County Foundation received eight gifts for a total of $23 million.

Philanthropy is especially critical to CHOC’s mission as a nonprofit pediatric health system, said Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer Jessica Miley.

“Last year was a record-breaking year in philanthropy for CHOC,” Miley told the Business Journal. “We’re so grateful for how our community came together.”

The gifts that went to CHOC helped support areas such as diabetes, autism, integrative gastroenterology and culinary medicine, pediatric urgent care and fellowships, according to Miley.

CHOC recently completed its merger with Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, creating a new entity called Rady Children’s Health.

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Yuika Yoshida
Yuika Yoshida
Yuika Yoshida has been a reporter covering healthcare, innovation and education at the Orange County Business Journal since 2023. Previous bylines include JapanUp! Magazine and Stu News Laguna. She received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. During her time at UC Irvine, she was the campus news editor for the official school paper and student writer for the Samueli School of Engineering. Outside of writing, she enjoys musical theater and finding new food spots within Orange County.
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