| Donor
| Donor State
| Recipient
| Recipient State
| Category
| Gift Amount
|
Warren E. Buffett
Investments |
Nebraska |
NoVo Foundation (New York) |
New York |
Foundations |
$1.2-billion  |
| Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, an insurance and investment company in Omaha, pledged shares of Berkshire Hathaway class "B" stock worth $1,027,773,653 to each of his three children's foundations: the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, which fights poverty; Susan Buffett's Sherwood Foundation, which supports social justice and early-childhood education; and Peter Buffett's NoVo Foundation, which seeks to improve the lives of women and girls. These new pledges are being made on top of the $1-billion he previously donated to each foundation in 2006. Mr. Buffett said he would pay the three foundations 5 percent of the remaining balance of the shares every year until his death. The amount of the pledges is based on the value of the stock on the day Mr. Buffett announced them. |
Mortimer B. Zuckerman
Media and entertainment, Real estate |
New York |
Columbia U. (New York) |
New York |
Colleges and universities |
$200-million |
| Columbia U. (New York) has received a $200-million pledge from Mortimer B. Zuckerman, chairman and editor-in-chief of U.S. News and World Report and New York Daily News, and chairman and chief executive officer of Boston Properties, to endow the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at the university. The gift will also support interdisciplinary research in the field of neuroscience. |
Carl C. Icahn
Investments |
New York |
Mount Sinal School of Medicine (New York) |
New York |
Colleges and universities |
$150-million |
| Mount Sinal School of Medicine (New York) has received a pledge of $150-million from the investor Carl C. Icahn for medical research. Mr. Icahn has been a trustee of the school since 2000 and previously gave $50-million in total to Mount Sinai. The school will be renamed after him. |
John A. Paulson
Finance |
New York |
Central Park Conservancy (New York) |
New York |
Other groups |
$100-million |
| Central Park Conservancy (New York) has received a pledge of $100-million over five years from John A. Paulson, president and portfolio manager of Paulson & Company, a hedge fund in New York, for its endowment and capital projects. The gift will be evenly split between the two priorities. Mr. Paulson is a board member and a longtime donor. |
David H. Koch
Oil |
New York |
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) |
New York |
Museums and libraries |
$65-million |
| Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) has received a pledge of $65-million from David H. Koch to renovate its Fifth Avenue plaza and fountains. Mr. Koch is executive vice president for Koch Industries, an oil and gas refinery in Wichita, Kan., that was founded by his father, Fred C. Koch. He is a trustee of the museum. |
Joshua P. Rechnitz
Family wealth |
New York |
New York City Fieldhouse (Brooklyn) |
New York |
Other groups |
$50-million |
| New York City Fieldhouse (Brooklyn, N.Y.) has received a pledge of $50-million from Joshua P. Rechnitz to underwrite the design and construction costs of a year-round indoor community recreation facility. Mr. Rechnitz is founder and chairman of the nonprofit. |
Ethel Strong Allen
Family wealth |
New York |
Hackley School (Tarrytown, N.Y.) |
New York |
Education |
$49.3-million
Bequest |
| Hackley School (Tarrytown, N.Y.) has received a $49.3-million bequest from the sale of three paintings owned by Ethel Strong Allen, widow of Herbert Allen Sr., co-founder of Allen and Company, an investment firm in New York. The paintings were "Nympheas" by Claude Monet, "Pommiers et faneuse, Eragny" by Camille Pisarro, and "L'allee des peupliers a Moret au bord du Loing" by Alfred Sisley. Ms. Allen's son, Herbert Jr., graduated from the school in 1958. Herbert Sr. was a trustee for 37 years. Ms. Allen died in June 2012. |
Herbert and Florence Irving
Food and beverage |
New York |
Columbia U. Medical Center (New York) |
New York |
Colleges and universities |
$40-million |
| Columbia U. Medical Center (New York) has received a pledge of $40-million from Herbert and Florence Irving for the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. The gift will be used to recruit and retain new cancer investigators, to support current researchers, and for operations. Mr. Irving is co-founder and former vice-chairman of Sysco Corporation, a marketer and distributor of food-service products in the United States. The Irvings have donated nearly $200-million to the medical center and its partner, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia to date. |
anonymous
|
N/A |
Cornell U. Law School (Ithaca, N.Y.) |
New York |
Colleges and universities |
$25-million |
| Cornell U. Law School (Ithaca, N.Y.) has received a pledge of $25-million from an anonymous donor to create an endowment to support faculty, program activities, and student scholarships. |
anonymous
|
N/A |
Columbia Business School (New York) |
New York |
Colleges and universities |
$25-million |
| Columbia Business School (New York) has received a pledge of $25-million from an anonymous donor. Of the total amount, $23.25-million will construct the business school's new building. The remaining $1.75-million will bolster its Social Enterprise Program. |
Leon G. Cooperman
Finance |
New Jersey |
Columbia Business School (New York) |
New York |
Colleges and universities |
$25-million |
| Columbia Business School (New York) has received a pledge of $25-million from Leon G. Cooperman to construct new facilities in Manhattanville. Mr. Cooperman is chairman and chief executive officer of Omega Advisors, a hedge fund, and former chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, both in New York. Mr. Cooperman earned a master's degree in business administration from Columbia in 1967 and is a member of the business school's Board of Overseers. |
Brooke Russell Astor
Family wealth |
New York |
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) |
New York |
Museums and libraries |
$20-million
Bequest |
| The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) has received a bequest of $20-million from Brooke Russell Astor, the philanthropist and New York socialite who was the widow of Vincent Astor, for its curatorial programs and to acquire works of art. Ms. Astor was a longtime trustee of the museum. She died in 2007. |
Bruce Kovner
Finance, Investments |
New York |
Juilliard School (New York) |
New York |
Arts |
$20-million |
| Juilliard School (New York) has received $20-million from Bruce Kovner, founder of Caxton Associates, a hedge fund in New York, for its graduate-level historical performance program, which provides specialized study in music from the year 1600 to the early 19th century. The gift will enable students to receive full scholarships. Mr. Kovner serves as chairman of Juilliard's Board of Trustees. |
Helen Gurley Brown
Media and entertainment |
New York |
Columbia U. Graduate School of Journalism (New York) |
New York |
Colleges and universities |
$18-million |
| Columbia U. Graduate School of Journalism (New York) has received a pledge of $18-million from Helen Gurley Brown, former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, to establish the David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute for Media Innovation, in collaboration with the Stanford U. School of Engineering. Most of the gift, $12-million, will support the institute's activities and to endow a professorship that will be the institute's East Coast director. The remainder will go to construction. Ms. Brown's late husband, David, was a film and theater producer, whose credits include the movie "Jaws." He earned a master's degree from the school in 1937. |
Brooke Russell Astor
Family wealth |
New York |
New York Public Library |
New York |
Museums and libraries |
$15-million
Bequest |
| The New York Public Library has received a bequest of $15-million from Brooke Russell Astor, the philanthropist and New York socialite who was the widow of Vincent Astor. |
Adelson Family Foundation (Sheldon G. and Miriam Adelson)
Hotels |
Nevada |
Birthright Israel Foundation (New York) |
New York |
Religious groups |
$13-million |
| Birthright Israel Foundation (New York) has received a $13-million challenge gift from the Adelson Family Foundation (Sheldon G. and Miriam Adelson) to enable 5,000 young Jews to travel to Israel this year. Mr. Adelson is the developer of the Venetian, a hotel in Las Vegas, and chairman of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, a developer of resorts. |
Lisa and Richard Baker
Retail |
Connecticut |
Cornell U. (Ithaca, N.Y.) |
New York |
Colleges and universities |
$12-million |
| Cornell U. (Ithaca, N.Y.) has received a gift of $12-million from Lisa and Richard Baker for its real-estate program and for the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art. Most of the gift, $11-million, will go to the program. The Bakers are owners of Hudson's Bay Company, a retail company in Toronto. Mr. Baker graduated from Cornell in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in hotel administration. |
Martin and Michele Cohen
Finance |
New York |
City College of New York |
New York |
Colleges and universities |
$10-million |
| City College of New York has received $10-million from Martin and Michele Cohen to establish a dean of science position. The money will also support endowed professorships and faculty and student support. Mr. Cohen is co-chairman and co-chief executive officer of Cohen & Steers, a New York-based investment company. Mr. Cohen graduated from the college in 1970. |
Donna Esteves
Energy, Industry |
New Jersey |
Sage Colleges (Troy, N.Y.) |
New York |
Colleges and universities |
$10-million |
| Sage Colleges (Troy, N.Y.) has received a pledge of $10-million from Donna Esteves, chief financial officer at SESCO Lighting, in Winter Park, Fla., for its School of Education. Ms. Esteves graduated from Russell Sage College in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in English and is a Sage trustee. |
David H. Koch
Oil |
New York |
Mount Sinai Medical Center (New York) |
New York |
Health |
$10-million |
| Mount Sinai Medical Center (New York) has received a pledge of $10-million from David H. Koch for its Jaffe Food Allergy Institute. The gift will create the David H. and Julia Koch Research Program in Food Allergy Therapeutics. Mr. Koch is executive vice president of Koch Industries, an oil and gas refinery in Wichita, Kansas that was founded by his father, Fred C. Koch. |
Richard S. and Karen LeFrak Charitable Foundation (Richard S. and Karen LeFrak)
Real estate |
New York |
American Museum of Natural History (New York) |
New York |
Museums and libraries |
$10-million |
| American Museum of Natural History (New York) has received $10-million from the Richard S. and Karen LeFrak Charitable Foundation (Richard S. and Karen LeFrak) to enable students and summer campers to gain free admission to the museum. Mr. LeFrak is chairman and chief executive officer of the LeFrak Organization, a real-estate company in New York. He is a museum trustee. |
Thomas D. O'Malley
Energy |
New Jersey |
Manhattan College (New York) |
New York |
Colleges and universities |
$10-million |
| Manhattan College (New York) has received a pledge of $10-million from Thomas D. O'Malley, chairman of PBF Energy, a company in Parsippany, N.J. that operates oil refineries, to build student commons. Mr. O'Malley was chairman of the university's Board of Trustees. He graduated from the college in 1963. This is the largest gift the college has ever received. |
David M. Rubenstein
Finance |
District of Columbia |
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York) |
New York |
Health |
$10-million |
| Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York) has received a pledge of $10-million from David M. Rubenstein for a new pancreatic cancer research center, which will be named after him. Mr. Rubenstein is co-founder and co-chief executive officer of the Carlyle Group, a private-equity firm in Washington. He is a member of Sloan-Kettering's Boards of Overseers and Managers. |
John A. Swanson
Technology |
Pennsylvania |
Cornell U. (Ithaca, N.Y.) |
New York |
Colleges and universities |
$10-million |
| Cornell U. (Ithaca, N.Y.) has received a pledge of $10-million from John A. Swanson to bolster undergraduate education in the College of Engineering. Half of the gift will endow engineering project teams; $2-million will endow the Academic Excellence Workshop and the Engineering Learning Initiatives program, which enables undergraduates to work alongside Cornell's faculty. The remaining $3-million will establish the John A. Swanson Engineering Undergraduate Scholarship Fund. Mr. Swanson is the founder and retired chief executive officer of Ansys, a software and technology company in Canonsburg, Pa. Mr. Swanson earned bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from Cornell in 1961 and 1963. |
Robert B. Willumstad
Finance |
New York |
Adelphi U. (Garden City, N.Y.) |
New York |
Colleges and universities |
$9.5-million |
| Adelphi U. (Garden City, N.Y.): $9.5-million pledge from Robert B. Willumstad, co-founder and senior adviser of Brysam Global Partners, a private-equity firm in New York, for its School of Business. The gift will support faculty recruitment, student scholarships, technology, and building renovations. Mr. Willumstad donated $1-million to the university in 2006 for its capital campaign. |
