Donald Bren

 

In a major gift that underscores Donald Bren’s deep passion for and commitment to public education and ensuring children’s success in life, in February 2008 he gave $8.5 million to THINK Together—one of the largest gifts ever to an after-school program in California history.  The gift brought to $10 million Mr. Bren’s contributions to THINK Together’s after-school programs.  And it represented his most recent donation in a long history of extraordinary educational giving.

Under Mr. Bren's guidance, The Irvine Company and the Donald Bren Foundation have generously provided more than $200 million to support education in California.  Of that amount, Mr. Bren has directed more than $100 million to K-12 education, including: a $20 million gift that protects and expands enrichment programs in music, art and science; $10 million to THINK Together after-school programs in the Santa Ana Unified School District and Eastern Los Angeles County; and millions of dollars in gifts for programs that honor extraordinary teachers and provide scholarship funds to outstanding high school seniors.  In addition, Mr. Bren has donated more than $100 million to institutions of higher education to fund far-reaching research and create endowed chairs, focusing particular attention on two of California’s most prominent universities, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara.

"There is no wiser investment we can make as individuals and as a company than in our children," Mr. Bren has said. "They will be our enduring legacy. They are the leaders of the future, and the quality of education they receive today will directly impact the success and prosperity of our communities tomorrow."

Mr. Bren's gifts benefit thousands of students, teachers, principals, individual schools, districts, universities and university scholars. That support has taken many forms, including the following:

• His February 2008 gift of $8.5 million allowed THINK Together, a provider of free after-school tutoring services for underprivileged youth, to expand its programs across the Santa Ana Unified School District and Eastern Los Angeles County.  The gift brought Mr. Bren’s contributions to THINK Together’s after-school programs to $10 million.
  
  
• "We owe it to our children and to our community," Mr. Bren said in April 2006, as he announced a $20 million gift to the Irvine Unified School District. The funds are being used to create a 10-year Excellence in Education Enrichment Fund to protect fourth- through sixth-grade fine arts, music and science programs.
  
  
• Every year, The Irvine Company provides scholarship funds to outstanding high school students on The Irvine Ranch through the Student Leadership Awards program. The program honors students who demonstrate their ability to be future leaders through academic achievement, extra-curricular activities, community service and other qualities and accomplishments.
  
  
• In 2003, Mr. Bren donated $20 million to the School of Information and Computer Sciences, which was renamed the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences in his honor. Contributions by Mr. Bren have allowed many leading researchers and professors to come to UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara. At a ceremony at UCI in June 2004, he was awarded the University of California Presidential Medal, the highest honor awarded to individuals by the University of California.