Highlighted Philanthropists
Veronica Atkins
Atkins is one of the top fifty most generous philanthropists. Newsweek also proclaimed her part of the “All-Star Team" in philanthropy.
Naveen Jain
Jain has been named one of the Top 20 Entrepreneurs by Red Herring, recognized for winning the Albert Einstein Technology Medal Winner, and received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2007.
George Soros
The Soros Foundations are an international network of local, Soros-founded foundations promoting sociopolitical activities.
Kenneth Langone
In 1978, he partnered with Bernard Marcus and Arthur Blank to found Home Depot, which today is one of the largest and most successful chains in the home improvement industry. He has contributed almost $150 million dollars to various charities.
Donald Bren
Donald Bren is a businessman in the real estate industry. Today he claims to a net worth of nearly $9 billion, amassed by his influential vision in developing California’s real estate.
Donald Bren is known for master-planning communities. He was one of the first to pioneer the creation of plush residences complemented by amenities like green spaces, business parks, schools, and retail outlets.
In fact, Donald Bren is the master builder/designed behind Orange County in California, where he owns The Irvine Ranch property. He has also developed half of Newport Beach.
Donald Bren is Chairman of The Irvine Company, a real estate development firm with 30 million square feet of office buildings, forty shopping centers, two hotels, five marinas, three golf clubs and 25,000 apartments among other properties. Aside from Orange County, The Irvine Company has assets in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley.
Cited as one of America’s top ten philanthropists, Donald Bren contributes to education and research.
- Donald Bren has donated $200 million to schools, students, teachers, and other members of the academic community in the Irvine Ranch neighborhood over the years.
- To train world-class scholars and researchers, Donald Bren has created 50 endowment funds to benefit faculty chairs such as those in the Caltech and Chapman University.
- Donald Bren also feels strongly about ecological conservation. He has committed no less than $50 million for the reservation and protection of the thousands of acres of wilderness and greenery in Irvine Ranch.
- In the field of research, Donald Bren has sponsored reputed institutions looking to prevent diseases, innovate in the field of technology, and strive for environmental sustainability.
- Donald Bren has also donated generous sums of money for organizations in Orange County, including the Orange County Museum of Art and the Orange County Performing Arts Center.