Philanthropy

9. Donald Bren

Real estate developer

2003-07 Given or Pledged: $915 million
Favored Causes: Education, conservation, research
Estimated Lifetime Giving*: $1,326 million
Net Worth**: $13,000 million
Giving as a Percentage of Net Worth: 10%

Bren's commitment to education runs the gamut from students to principals to school districts to university scholars on his Irvine Ranch. In 2007 gifts included $20 million for a new law school at the University of California, Irvine, and $3 million in annual grants, teacher recognition, and student scholarships. In 2006, on top of a $20 million gift to fund elementary fine arts, music, and science programs at schools in Irvine, Calif., Bren quietly gave away properties worth hundreds of million of dollars to recipients such as schools and retirement communities.

*Based on public records and interviews with donors
**Based on the Forbes 400 list and donor information
Data: BusinessWeek, GuideStar, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University