The University of Richmond (UR) has announced a $25 million gift from alumni Carole and Marcus Weinstein in support of a center focused on student learning. 

The second-largest single gift in UR’s history will fund creation of the Carole and Marcus Weinstein Learning Center in the Boatwright Memorial Library. The collaborative, state-of-the-art center will co-locate, integrate, and expand services that support academic achievement for students, including effective speaking, writing, and peer tutoring. The center also will include advanced quantitative support and other resources for students in every stage of their educational journey. 

Longtime supporters of UR, the Weinsteins previously provided funding for scholarships, faculty chairs, international education, and well-being and chaplaincy programs, as well as the creation of the Carole Weinstein International Center, the Weinstein Center for Recreation, and Weinstein Hall. Marcus Weinstein recently received the Paragon Medal, UR’s highest honor, in recognition of his decades of support for students and the university’s academic mission. 

“We are excited by the way the university’s Boatwright Library will accommodate the next generation of students,” said the Weinsteins. “We remember spending hours poring over the library’s card catalog to do further research for papers we were writing. The new Learning Center will use the library’s centralized space to offer cutting-edge practices and support new skills students need now and into the future.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Jovan Epn)

Ballmer Group has announced an investment of more than $43 million in early childhood education and childcare programs in Washington state.

The bulk of the investment is an eight-year, $38 million gift to the University of Washington to make early childhood education training and certification more accessible through cost-of-attendance scholarships and to increase and diversify the pipeline of early childhood education providers. The effort includes 80 high school scholarships (10 per year) connected to My Brother’s Teacher at Cultivate Learning, a program in the Seattle Public Schools focused on increasing the number of male Black and brown early childhood education teachers; 1,200 undergraduate scholarships serving at least 600 students in the final two years of their college careers; 115 scholarships for a master’s in early childhood education policy; and 230 early childhood coaching certificate scholarships.

In addition, Ballmer awarded a total of $5.65 million in grants to help build and strengthen early childhood policy by cultivating diverse leadership and driving legislative advocacy on workforce policies. To that end, $4 million was awarded to Child Care Aware Washington to lead advocacy efforts designed to effectively implement and fund best-in-class workforce policies, including improvements to teacher retention, pay, and professional development, and $1.65 million to Pathwaves WA to elevate leaders of color in the early childhood policy space via their fellowship program.

“We believe deeply in accessible, high-quality early childhood education,” the funder stated in a press release. “The research to support these investments is clear: a child’s early months and years of life are a critical time of rapid brain development, and being in a high-quality learning environment is a crucial element that sets kids up for future success. That opportunity shouldn’t be out of reach for any child or their family.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Fat Camera)

The International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., has announced a $3 million grant from the Verstandig Family Foundation to support education programming and the preservation of the museum’s collections.

The multiyear commitment is the largest gift by a foundation to the museum, founded in 2002 to elevate the history of espionage and intelligence services and their role in modern life. The funding will be used to expand education programming that prioritizes underserved communities and fund efforts to sustain artifact preservation. In addition, the grant will fund “Spying that Launched a Nation,” an exhibit that will include as its centerpiece a letter written by George Washington—on loan from Grant Verstandig, a museum board member and co-founder and CEO of Red Cell, a California-based venture capital firm.

“As a result of [the foundation’s] generosity, we will be able to think big and ambitiously deliver on our educational mission, significantly improving the museum experience for our visitors and exploring new and creative ways to encourage our audiences to think critically about the complex world around us,” said International Spy Museum executive director Chris Costa.

“I am beyond excited by the opportunity to partner with the Spy Museum to share this collection with the broader Washington, D.C., community and spy enthusiasts across the world,” said Verstandig. “People take many different approaches to structuring their personal collections; for me it has never been about the most rare or esoteric item, it is about the challenge of the search, the thrill of discovering an artifact that has had a significant impact on history, and the pleasure of continuous learning about a subject matter I have been fascinated by since childhood.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/W Ragg)

Ballmer Group has announced an investment of more than $43 million in early childhood education and childcare programs in Washington state.

The bulk of the investment is an eight-year, $38 million gift to the University of Washington to make early childhood education training and certification more accessible through cost-of-attendance scholarships and to increase and diversify the pipeline of early childhood education providers. The effort includes 80 high school scholarships (10 per year) connected to My Brother’s Teacher at Cultivate Learning, a program in the Seattle Public Schools focused on increasing the number of male Black and brown early childhood education teachers; 1,200 undergraduate scholarships serving at least 600 students in the final two years of their college careers; 115 scholarships for a master’s in early childhood education policy; and 230 early childhood coaching certificate scholarships.

In addition, Ballmer awarded a total of $5.65 million in grants to help build and strengthen early childhood policy by cultivating diverse leadership and driving legislative advocacy on workforce policies. To that end, $4 million was awarded to Child Care Aware Washington to lead advocacy efforts designed to effectively implement and fund best-in-class workforce policies, including improvements to teacher retention, pay, and professional development, and $1.65 million to Pathwaves WA to elevate leaders of color in the early childhood policy space via their fellowship program.

“We believe deeply in accessible, high-quality early childhood education,” the funder stated in a press release. “The research to support these investments is clear: a child’s early months and years of life are a critical time of rapid brain development, and being in a high-quality learning environment is a crucial element that sets kids up for future success. That opportunity shouldn’t be out of reach for any child or their family.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Fat Camera)

Florida Atlantic University (FAU) has announced a $2.8 million gift from Builders Initiative to help the university’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute establish a queen conch hatchery in Grand Bahama. 

The largest gift from a private funder to FAU Harbor Branch’s queen conch program will enable it to develop a conceptual master plan for a 25-acre innovation hub on Grand Bahama for researchers working to solve issues of island sustainability. Prized for its iconic spiral shell and meat, the queen conch is considered the cornerstone of the Bahamian culture and economy. Through partnerships, the project will work to develop new economic and environmental opportunities for the community, along with helping to replenish queen conch populations. Partnerships include Blue Action Lab, to assist with permits, negotiations, and other collaborator relationships, as well as the Bahamas National Trust, the University of the Bahamas, the Perry Institute of Marine Science, and Nature Conservancy, which will provide expertise on habitat mapping for conch breeding sites in seagrass beds. 

The Grand Bahama queen conch hatchery is the fifth FAU partnership project focused on queen conch restoration across the Caribbean. FAU Harbor Branch has been working on restoration efforts since 2016 and has established other queen conch farms in Puerto Rico, Curacao, and Great Exuma Island, Bahamas. 

“We’re extremely grateful to Builders Initiative for their generous support of our queen conch restoration efforts,” said FAU president Stacy Volnick. “FAU Harbor Branch’s work in aquaculture is helping to meet the growing global demand for food, thanks to partners like Builders Initiative who share our belief in sustainable solutions to environmental challenges.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Camp Photo)

The Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore has announced the promotion of XANDER PERRY to vice president and chief investment officer, succeeding MAY NG, who is leaving to lead the investments team at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

The American LGBTQ+ Museum in New York City has announced the appointment of SUHALY BAUTISTA-CAROLINA as director of public programs and partnerships. Bautista-Carolina was previously senior managing educator of audience development and engagement at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

The American Kidney Fund in Rockville, Maryland, has announced the selection of SILAS NORMAN as chair of its national volunteer board of trustees. A transplant nephrologist at the University of Michigan, Norman has been instrumental in helping the organization develop its patient and provider education programming. 

The Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas, has announced the appointment of CAITLIN MURRAY as director. Murray was previously the director of archives and programs at the Judd Foundation. 

The Green Climate Fund in Incheon, South Korea, has announced the appointment of MAFALDA DUARTE as executive director. Duarte has been CEO of the Climate Investment Funds since 2014. 

The Les Turner ALS Foundation in Chicago has announced the appointment of LAURA FREVELETTI as CEO, effective April 10. Freveletti most recently worked as a senior program officer at the Allstate Foundation. She will succeed ANDREA PAULS BACKMAN, who is stepping down after eight years as CEO.

Lincoln Center in New York City has announced the selection of STEVEN R. SWARTZ as chair of its board of directors, succeeding KATHERINE G. FARLEY. Swartz is president and CEO of Hearst. 

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Simi Valley, California, has announced the appointment of DAVID V. TRULIO as president and CEO, effective April 3. Most recently, Trulio was managing editor, head of strategy and editorial operations, at FOX News Digital. 

The Scratch Foundation in Boston has announced the selection of MINDEE H. BARHAM and SARAH SMIRNOFF as co-executive directors. Barham and Smirnoff first joined the Scratch Foundation in 2022 as chief philanthropy officer and chief product officer, respectively. They were named interim co-executive directors in October. 

Southwestern Medical Foundation in Dallas has announced the selection of MICHAEL MCMAHAN as CEO, effective March 20. McMahan worked at the George W. Bush Presidential Center for 11 years, moving from program manager to his current position as vice president of corporate planning and development. 

The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City has announced the selection of SCOTT ROTHKOPF as director, succeeding ADAM D. WEINBERG. Rothkopf is currently the senior deputy director and chief curator. Weinberg led the museum for 20 years, including through its location change to the city’s Meatpacking District. 

The World Food Program USA in Washington, D.C., has announced the appointment of CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN to its board of directors. Whitman is president of the Whitman Strategy Group, a former Environmental Protection Agency administrator, and a former governor of New Jersey. 

PND also notes the passing of WILLIAM R. COTTER, the former president and chair of Oak Foundation’s board. Cotter became the foundation’s first president in 2000, after leading Colby College since 1979. During his time with the foundation, he helped formally establish the Oak Foundation Denmark and the International Human Rights Programme.