‘A force for good’: Gifts and giving that transformed UCLA in 2025

"The root of the term 'philanthropy' translates to 'love of humanity,' and our benefactors live those words," Chancellor Julio Frenk said at his inauguration in June. "They believe in the value of our work and want to see it connect with the world … philanthropy makes an invaluable contribution to building trust in universities. Indeed, our benefactors entrust their hard-earned resources to our stewardship so we may use them to achieve valued goals. Such acts of generosity signal to others in society, including policymakers and taxpayers, that universities are indeed a force for good."

Across UCLA in 2025, that generosity - and the growing trust that accompanies it - took powerful and tangible form in gifts that strengthened health care, fueled discovery, expanded access to education and created new pathways for impact.

In August, Southern California entrepreneur and UCLA alumnus Joe C. Wen and his family made a $30 million commitment to the UCLA School of Nursing that will ensure the school's excellence and impact for years to come by supporting nursing education, elevating student achievement and driving innovation in nursing research. In recognition of the donation - the largest in the school's 76-year history - UCLA named the school the UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing, making it the university's first school named for an Asian American.

UCLA Health received a $31 million commitment in November from Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg and their research foundation to advance biomedical research at the UCLA Research Park. The pledge is designed to foster generations of leaders, advance discovery science and provide the laboratory resources needed to support the work. The commitment provides holistic funding for new breakthroughs in basic, translational and clinical science - and the people who lead these efforts.

In April, UCLA Health received a $25 million commitment from UCLA alumna and former chair of The UCLA Foundation board Shirley Wang and her husband, Walter, to establish a center that will offer comprehensive care, support and guidance for patients and families living with gastrointestinal disorders. The center will be one of the few holistic programs of its kind in the nation, providing whole-person care for patients to help them live healthier.

In October, UCLA Health received a $20 million commitment from longtime philanthropists and advisory board leaders Laurie and Steven C. Gordon to help expand access to care at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center by supporting the renovation of the medical center's fourth floor - currently the home of the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, which will soon be relocating to the new UCLA mental health campus in the Mid-Wilshire area. The conversion of the vacated space will create an additional 103 beds for adult and pediatric critical and acute care patients.

UCLA Health received a $20 million commitment from the Saul and Joyce Brandman Foundation in March to establish a new lung health center that will explore the mechanisms of lung disease and develop prevention strategies, diagnostic tests and treatments. The center will also provide training and mentorship to physicians and scientists, cultivating generations of leaders in medicine who are dedicated to fighting lung disease.

In May, UCLA alumni Heidi and Larry Canarelli made a gift totaling $10 million through their family foundation to bolster two lifesaving programs at UCLA Health: $6 million for the UCLA Arline and Henry Gluck Stroke Rescue Program and $4 million to help UCLA establish the Canarelli Family Oligodendroglioma Brain Tumor Research Fund, the latter gift inspired by their daughter's treatment at UCLA Health. UCLA will be able to launch a third mobile stroke unit, a specially designed ambulance that offers highly advanced clinical care in the prehospital setting, thanks to the stroke program gift.

Other 2025 giving highlights: