Donors supported UC Davis with $108.1 million in gifts, pledges and private grants during the 2008-09 fiscal year, marking the third consecutive year that philanthropic support has surpassed $100 million.

In all, the number of gifts rose to 49,896, an increase of 1 percent from 2007-08, illustrating the commitment of UC Davis’ donors even during these times of financial turbulence.

The wide range of gifts included a $16 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to fight childhood malnutrition, a collection of valuable prints from renowned painter Wayne Thiebaud and his wife, Betty Jean, and nearly $1.3 million from the Autism Speaks advocacy group to investigate autism.

The $108.1 million total for the year ending June 30, 2009, continues a generally upward trend in philanthropic giving to UC Davis. The dollar total represents a 7 percent jump compared with the 2006-07 fiscal year. Philanthropic gifts to UC Davis in 2007-08 exceeded $200 million for the first time, due in large part to a $100 million philanthropic grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to found the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.

Outgoing Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef expressed gratitude for the generosity of so many and pointed out how important philanthropic support is to UC Davis as the university works through a difficult economy.

Chancellor Linda Katehi said, “Philanthropy has been vital to UC Davis throughout its first 100 years, and it will continue to be essential to sustaining and transforming the university into its second century of progress and service. It’s already clear to me that UC Davis’ donors are extraordinarily passionate and committed supporters of this great university. I look forward to meeting with and hearing from so many more of them.”

Donors in 2008-09 included alumni, parents, faculty and friends, as well as corporations, foundations, and other organizations. The $108.1 million provided a wide range of support for students, faculty and programs and came from a broad financial range, according to Cheryl Brown Lohse, associate vice chancellor for University Development. Consider that 16 donors made gifts of $1 million or more, while UC Davis students made important contributions through a senior class gift effort.

“In these difficult economic times,” Lohse said, “it is a great tribute to UC Davis that donors continue to keep the university as a priority. UC Davis offers donors opportunities to meet their own philanthropic goals and to make a difference in areas that matter most to them.”

Gifts to UC Davis support a wide range of purposes, helping to shape tomorrow’s leaders, serve California and the world, and finance research toward new discoveries that improve the quality of life for humans and animals.

Some highlights of the donations

$16 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support research to prevent childhood malnutrition in developing countries. The five-year philanthropic grant is helping UC Davis lead an international team of researchers to formulate a nutritional supplement for women and children in impoverished areas of the world.

Thiebaud, a world-renowned painter and UC Davis professor emeritus, and his wife gave the campus a rare birthday gift: 20 of Thiebaud’s hand-worked prints valued at an estimated $860,000. One, “Cakes and Pies,” is featured in a series of limited-edition posters in honor of the UC Davis Centennial, which is being celebrated through the end of the summer. The others will be publicly exhibited at the Richard L. Nelson Gallery and Fine Arts Collection on campus in January 2010 and have been made available right away for art students to study.

The nearly $1.3 million philanthropic grant from Autism Speaks to the UC Davis Health System, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the College of Biological Sciences, for research investigating autism. In April, UC Davis reported on research partially funded by Autism Speaks grants to the School of Veterinary Medicine and M.I.N.D. Institute. The research findings may explain the association between exposure of the developing nervous system to the organic compounds known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, and behavioral deficits in children.

$2.5 million from the Chevron Corp. to create the Chevron Chair in Energy Efficiency. The appointee will direct the Energy Efficiency Center, which was established in 2006. The world’s first university center of excellence in energy efficiency, its primary objective is to speed the transfer of energy-saving products and services into the homes, businesses and lives of Californians.

More than 16,000 donors supported the Annual Fund in 2008-09, giving nearly $1.8 million. The chancellor allocates Annual Fund gifts to areas of greatest need, including student scholarships and faculty support. Many donors honored Chancellor Vanderhoef, who is stepping down Aug. 16, by giving to the UC Davis Annual Fund in his name or by contributing to a special fund created in his honor, the Larry N. Vanderhoef Scholarship Fund for Students and Staff.

Health system

All 10 of UC Davis’ colleges and professional schools received private support. The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences recorded the highest amount, at $39.2 million. It was followed by the UC Davis Health System, at $20.4 million, and the School of Veterinary Medicine, at $10.6 million.

More information is available at www.news.ucdavis.edu.