Charitable giving aimed at greatest needs in 2020

Orange County philanthropists met the COVID-19 pandemic with a surge in support for patients, caregivers and students in 2020, area foundation execs say. “Our donors wanted to help people,” Brian Hervey, vice chancellor of university advancement and alumni relations at the University of California, Irvine, told the Business Journal. “Things like student support, basic scientific research—there were a lot more gifts in those areas. People gave from the heart to support the community during a difficult time,” he said. … Likewise, “unrestricted donations gave our health leaders a lot of flexibility in determining the greatest need at the time” at UCI, Hervey said.