Super-sized donations to benefit various organizations

A spate of super-sized donations has recently benefited various organizations and higher education institutions. They include what is reported as the largest single contribution to a historically Black college or university (HBCU), $100 million to UNCF, and $350 million from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. for projects in Indiana.

Businesswoman and philanthropist Ronda Stryker and her husband, William Johnston, Chairman of Greenleaf Trust, gave $100 million to Spelman College, a historically Black women’s college. The donation is the largest single contribution ever made to a historically Black college or university (HBCU).

Lilly Endowment Inc., awarded $100 million of unrestricted grant money to the UNCF (United Negro College Fund) to support UNCF’s capital campaign. UNCF is undertaking a $1 billion capital campaign that includes five components: student scholarships, unrestricted funds to enhance the endowments for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), capacity-building programs for member HBCUs (such as technology, training, and research), cash reserves and endowed funds for UNCF and support for UNCF’s annual campaign.

Additionally, Lilly Endowment Inc. gave:

• $250 million to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) to help bolster quality of place efforts throughout Indiana. The grant will be administered with the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI). Paired with Lilly Endowment’s grant, READI 2.0 will support quality of place projects across 15 regions and is expected to attract a minimum 4:1 match of local public and private funding, yielding at least another $3 billion investment in Indiana’s neighborhoods and future prosperity.  
• $100 million to the Purdue Research Foundation to support two major Purdue University initiatives.