Donors came together to invest in UCLA’s future, tackle pressing challenges in 2025–26

During his first full academic year, UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk introduced One UCLA,a forward-looking collective vision for the future of education, research and public service guided by three principles: to be connective, impactful and exemplary.

The UCLA donor community reflects that vision, contributing $746 million to expand student support, create new research partnerships, advance health care and deepen the university's engagement with Los Angeles and the world.

In total, donors made 67,096 gifts in fiscal year 2025-26, an increase over the previous year, with donations arriving from all 50 states and 65 countries and spanning every gift level. While UCLA celebrated 19 landmark philanthropic investments of $5 million or more, 93% of gifts were for less than $10,000. This year, Bruin Giving Day, held in late April, inspired more than 3,400 donors to contribute over $2.6 million.

"These successes speak to the power of our Bruin family coming together," Frenk said. "Philanthropy reflects confidence in our mission, trust in our institution and a shared commitment to the future we are building. Working together, we can extend UCLA's reach even further and make a difference in even more lives."

Supporting students

UCLA continues to be the most applied-to school in the nation, and donors stepped up to support students by creating 122 new scholarships and fellowships last year.

Among them was a $4.2 million gift from the estate of Gertrude Pomish to supplement the existing Gertrude T. Pomish Scholarship Fund . This inspiring gift from the late public school teacher increases both the number of scholarship recipients in her name and the award for each.

Donors enhanced the student experience in many other ways, including a $6 million gift from alumnus Kwame J. Granderson to endow the UCLA Undergraduate Writing Center , which helps students develop and strengthen their writing skills. The support will ensure the center, renamed in Granderson's honor, continues serving students across campus well into the future.

Driving research and faculty support

Donors came together for UCLA faculty and research, designating 68% of the fiscal year's fundraising dollars to support p rograms and research throughout the university enterprise.

The UCLA Samueli School of Engineering ushered in a new chapter of discovery for faculty, students and industry partners, propelled by the launch of a first-of-its-kind $125 million Semiconductor Hub with top industry leaders. The innovative project - which included funding from founding partners Broadcom, Applied Materials, GlobalFoundries, Meta and Synopsys - helped drive a 65% increase in corporate giving over the prior year.

The W.M. Keck Foundation made a grant of $1.4 million, extending their decades-long partnership with and support for UCLA. The grant enables early-career faculty and graduate students to continue their research amid growing uncertainty about federal funding. Projects range from brain health and climate change to green chemistry and space science.

UCLA also received 13 gifts to establish new faculty chairs. A $5 million gift from Kenneth C. Griffin named a chair to support new research and initiatives in fusion science and engineering, potentially fueling discoveries in clean energy. And a $2 million gift endowed the Nancy and Leslie Abell Family Chair in Employment and Labor Law to advance research and teaching at UCLA School of Law.

In the UCLA College Division of Humanities, alumnus Jeffrey Cunard's $11 million gift endowed the new J effrey P. Cunard Center for Global Antiquity to strengthen scholarship and interdisciplinary expertise on ancient cultures, further cementing UCLA as a leader in the field.

Improving human health

Several landmark gifts advanced healthcare, mental healthcare and research at the university, including the following.

A $20 million commitment from Laurie and Steven C. Gordon and their family foundation will enable Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center to expand access to patient care by supporting renovations and increasing the number of beds for adults and children needing critical and acute care by 23%.

A $31 million commitment from Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg and their research foundation will support the David Geffen School of Medicine and the UCLA Research Park, fostering future leaders in biomedical science, advancing research discoveries and providing needed laboratory resources.

Publicly announced in 2026 was Stewart and Lynda Resnick's gift of $100 million to expand mental and behavioral health services at UCLA Health and support the completion of the new UCLA Resnick Mental Health Campus, a neuropsychiatric hospital and comprehensive mental health campus in the mid-Wilshire area. The Resnick gift is the largest single donation to advance mental health care in UCLA Health's history.

UCLA received a $33 million award from Ballmer Group to expand its work with youth mental health across Los Angeles. The gift will address academic and clinical training needs and increase the pipeline of mental health professionals to improve access to services. The interdisciplinary investment leverages the expertise of departments at the UCLA the Luskin School of Public Affairs, the Geffen School of Medicine and the UCLA College, where it established the Youth Behavioral Health Chair.

With these gifts and others, UCLA will make significant re-investments in mental health, spanning research, clinical care, social work and student support services.

Universitywide investments

Several gifts will impact university and campus life broadly.

A bequest of more than $40 million from the late Lawrence "Larry" Layne will benefit multiple areas across UCLA , including athletics, recreation, health, business and the performing arts.

And alumnus Angelo Mazzone III committed $10 million to UCLA's football program. His gift will catalyze student-athlete success and endow the head football coach position.

"UCLA is grateful for the tremendous dedication and vision of our donors and volunteers," said Rhea Turteltaub, UCLA's vice chancellor for external affairs. ""The mission-driven philanthropy in our community positions UCLA for an exciting and bold future."