A commitment to community

The Samueli Foundation, founded in 1999 by longtime UC Irvine supporters Susan and Henry Samueli, has received the 2025 National Philanthropy Day Special 40^th Anniversary Legacy Award. It recognizes the foundation’s extraordinary philanthropic commitment and community impact across Orange County. The Samuelis’ generosity serves as an example of how forward-looking people of goodwill can create a positive legacy that embraces the spirit of giving.

Hosted by the Orange County chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, National Philanthropy Day has been celebrating generosity and impact for the past 40 years. All the 2025 honorees have enriched Orange County through their time, talent or treasure. Their achievements were recognized Nov. 13 during a luncheon at the City National Grove of Anaheim.

The Samueli Foundation has been a driving force in the region’s nonprofit and civic sectors for more than 25 years. During this time, the Samuelis have committed over $1 billion to philanthropic efforts. In addition to giving back to the community, they have supported national and global causes they care deeply about, with a focus on three primary areas:

• Science, technology, engineering and mathematics education that advances the study of engineering at the university level and the teaching of innovative STEM curricula at the K-12 level, especially in socially disadvantaged communities

• Complementary, alternative and integrative medicine that promotes wellness and whole-person care based on evidence-informed research

• Initiatives in the U.S. and around the world that foster Jewish culture, combat antisemitism, and encourage tolerance and understanding among different religious traditions

UC Irvine has partnered with Susan and Henry Samueli to make a lasting impact in all three areas, while also shaping a new health paradigm. Evidence of the Samuelis’ bold vision is apparent throughout the campus, not only on the names of buildings but also in research labs, classrooms and clinics. The ultimate goal of achieving well-being for all has inspired the Samuelis to imagine new possibilities.

“Few have done more to lift up communities and redefine what’s possible through philanthropy than Susan and Henry Samueli,” said UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman. “Their recognition with the Special 40^th Anniversary Legacy Award is richly deserved and deeply meaningful to all of us at UC Irvine.”

Creating a lasting legacy

The Samuelis expanded the scope of their philanthropic vision in 2017 with a $200 million pledge to establish the UC Irvine Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, a first-of-its-kind college focused on interdisciplinary integrative health. This is the largest philanthropic gift UC Irvine has received in its 60-year history and was, at the time, the seventh-largest gift to a single public university.

As the Samuelis envisioned, the college educates future generations of healthcare professionals in four schools that foster interdisciplinary research and team-based learning: the School of Medicine, the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health. The Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute is also an intrinsic part of the college. Working with campus partners and UCI Health, faculty and students across the entire college are redefining healthcare for the future.

In October 2022, the Samuelis’ vision of a custom-designed campus home for the college became a reality. Located near the corner of California Avenue and Michael Drake Drive, the 9-acre health sciences complex has already become a landmark. With platinum LEED certification for green building design – the highest level offered – the complex honors the university’s commitment to sustainability. Advanced technology enhances teaching and promotes collaboration, while beautiful, sustainable outdoor spaces complement the environment-friendly architecture.

When the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute opened the doors of its new home in the health sciences complex, the event ushered in a revolutionary era of whole-person integrative health driven by a mission to discover, teach, heal and serve. More than 20 years earlier, in 2001, Susan and Henry Samueli had founded the original Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine. In 2017, the Samuelis’ historic gift to establish the college transformed the center into the world-class institute it is today.

While a vital component of the Samueli legacy at UC Irvine, the college represents only part of the family’s strategic philanthropy. The study of engineering, another area the Samuelis have championed, has benefited immensely from their generosity.

Reimagining engineering education

Through their transformative contributions, the Samuelis have elevated the stature of engineering education on campus while helping to build an academic research powerhouse. A $20 million gift in 1999 to name the Samueli School of Engineering endowed 10 chairs and professorships and funded two scholarships and a graduate fellowship, ensuring that rising stars and future leaders have the chance to thrive in a supportive environment.

A $30 million gift in 2017 helped to build UC Irvine’s state-of-the-art Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building, thus uniting under one roof experts in disparate fields to address grand challenges in human health, the climate crisis and other critical domains.

In 2023, the Samuelis contributed $50 million to create three new multidisciplinary research institutes in the Samueli School of Engineering. Designed to confront pressing issues of the time, Engineering+ encompasses the Engineering+Health Institute, the Engineering+Society Institute and the Engineering+Environment Institute.

Preserving Jewish culture

In 2022, the foundation helped fund Orange County’s first Hillel House, located adjacent to UC Irvine, giving Jewish students a dedicated, welcoming space for connection and celebration.

In addition, a $2 million endowment from the Samueli Foundation in 2007 established the UC Irvine/Israeli Scholar Exchange Endowment for Engineering Science Program, which supports research activities, international collaborations and educational activities with Israeli universities to build bridges between UC Irvine engineers and their Israeli counterparts, solidifying the Samueli School’s role as a global leader among engineering schools.

Achieving well-being for all

Brian Hervey, vice chancellor for university advancement and alumni relations and president of the UC Irvine Foundation, echoed the sentiments of many when he said, “Susan and Henry Samueli lead by example, and their commitment has helped elevate fundraising at UC Irvine to unprecedented heights. Their generosity challenges all of us in the philanthropic community to think bigger and invest with purpose.”

Under the leadership of Lindsey Spindle, president of the Samueli Family Philanthropies, the foundation continues to evolve. It’s poised to distribute another billion dollars to philanthropic efforts in the next 10 years.

The Samueli Foundation was nominated for the 2025 National Philanthropy Day Special 40^th Anniversary Legacy Award by UC Irvine, Pathways of Hope, South County Outreach, Families Forward, Merage Jewish Community Center of Orange County, and Jewish Federation of Orange County.