In 2008, BusinessWeek ranked Mr. Bren No. 9 nationally among philanthropists, citing the more than $907 million he has given or pledged since 2003. Mr. Bren’s lifetime giving exceeds $1.3 billion, according to the magazine’s estimates.
Donald Bren is recognized and admired as one of America’s leading philanthropists, and is consistently ranked high on BusinessWeek magazine’s list of “The 50 Most Generous Philanthropists” in the nation. In 2008, the magazine placed Mr. Bren at No. 9, citing the more than $907 million he has donated or pledged since 2003 to his three primary areas of philanthropy: education, conservation and research. Mr. Bren's lifetime giving exceeds $1.3 billion, according to the magazine's estimates. "Bren's commitment to education runs the gamut from students to principals to school districts to university scholars on (The) Irvine Ranch," BusinessWeek noted.
Mr. Bren’s passion for education is reflected in his many gifts benefiting school children, teachers and universities. Under Mr. Bren's guidance, the Irvine Company and the Donald Bren Foundation have generously provided more than $200 million to support education initiatives in California. The breadth of his philanthropic efforts spans the grade school to university level education, to open space and parklands conservation, as well as research opportunities that foster the advancement of science and technology. In addition, Mr. Bren has emphasized through his philanthropic efforts the importance of creating endowed chairs, focusing particular attention on two of California’s most prominent universities, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara.
In 2007, Mr. Bren was elected a Fellow of the Prestigious American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Fellows are elected from throughout the world through a highly competitive process, and are chosen for their major and lasting contributions to their disciplines and society. Mr. Bren was elected in the category of Business, Corporate and Philanthropic Leadership – Private Sector.
Mr. Bren focuses his philanthropy in three primary areas:
Education
Through the Irvine Company and the Donald Bren Foundation, Mr. Bren has directed contributions totaling more than $200 million to support students, teachers, principals, individual schools and districts, universities and university scholars throughout California. These gifts include:
- UC Irvine Law School: $20 million gift to help newly established school attract nationally prominent scholars and students.
- UC Irvine Computer Sciences: $20 million gift to continue the advancement of the school, establishing a national stature; the university renamed the school in Mr. Bren's honor.
- THINK Together: multiple gifts totaling $10 million to help at-risk children in the Santa Ana Unified School District and Eastern Los Angeles County.
- Excellence in Education Enrichment Fund: $20 million gift to ensure survival of fourth- through sixth-grade fine arts, music and science programs in Irvine schools.
- Science Education: $2.5 million pledge for K-12 science education initiatives in Newport-Mesa Unified School District.
- Environmental Science Endowment: Major gift to support teaching and research at Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara.
- Endowed University Chairs: Mr. Bren endowed more University of California chairs than any individual ever and in 2004 received the UC Presidential Medal—the university system's highest honor. Additionally, he endowed chairs at Caltech and Chapman Universities.
Conservation
- Irvine Ranch Preservation: More than 50,000 acres of locally, regionally and nationally significant open space and parklands—more than half of the 93,000-acre Irvine Ranch—set aside forever in the heart of urban Orange County; completion of this 30-year pledge occurred in June 2010.
- United States and California Natural Landmarks: With the open space and parklands' natural beauty and scientific value rivaling that of National Parks, the United States Department of the Interior designated a majority of Irvine Ranch lands a National Natural Landmark. Subsequently, the State of California designated these parklands a California Natural Landmark—the first-ever such designation.
- Irvine Ranch Conservancy: $50 million donated to support the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, ensuring long-term protection, enhancement and public enjoyment of the open space and parklands on The Irvine Ranch.
Research
- Continued Commitment to New Research Opportunities: Major contributions creating innovative research opportunities for renowned scientists, medical researchers and scholars, ranging from: identifying cures for human diseases and improving humans’ overall quality of life, to ushering in advances in computer science, to environmental problem-solving.
- Burnham Institute for Medical Research: Research philanthropy benefiting efforts of internationally acclaimed institute and its distinguished scientist and chief executive officer, Dr. John C. Reed, focusing on wide-ranging research in three critical areas of medical research: cancer, neurosciences and aging, and infectious and inflammatory diseases.
