The Gracias Family Foundation has made a $20 million gift to the University of Chicago in support of faculty research and student advancement.
This philanthropic investment will directly support the Gracias Family Center for Human Sciences and Wellbeing and the Gracias Family Research Fund, both housed at the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI).
The gift also will support two endowed professorships in economics, as well as one endowed professorship in quantum science and engineering at the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME).
The professorships are the last of 30 endowed professorships made possible through the Wallman Fellows Initiative, which seeks to enhance UChicago’s capacity to advance high-potential scholarship through increased resources for faculty. The Gracias Family Foundation’s support also will bring new student opportunities to campus, including a Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (Formula SAE) Fund housed at UChicago PME.
“This generous gift will empower our faculty and students to explore new frontiers of knowledge across a range of disciplines, including quantum science, engineering and economics,” said President Paul Alivisatos. “We’re grateful to the Gracias Family Foundation for their support.”
The gift will allow BFI to build upon the innovative model developed by the Kenneth C. Griffin Applied Economics Incubator, a hub for generating new initiatives and ideas that drive thought and policy change.
“The Gracias Center for Human Sciences and Wellbeing will advance our economic understanding of beliefs and the science of scaling, said John List, BFI’s faculty director and the Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor. “Using the proven incubator model, we will focus resources on one critical issue at a time, thus accelerating actionable, data-driven solutions to the most pressing societal challenges. This gift will truly help us change the world.”
“This generous gift will empower our faculty and students to explore new frontiers of knowledge across a range of disciplines, including quantum science, engineering and economics.”
— President Paul Alivisatos
By endowing three professorships, this gift reinforces UChicago’s position as a global leader in research. When named, the three professors will join the Wallman Society of Fellows, which recognizes faculty who, through their research and teaching, drive UChicago’s distinctive contributions to society.
“The gift of an endowed professorship in quantum science and engineering will help UChicago PME continue to lead research and education in this cutting-edge field,” said Nadya Mason, dean of the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and interim vice president for Science, Innovation and Partnerships.
“At the same time, the gift enables key experiential and multi-disciplinary learning for students in the College through the Gracias Family Formula SAE Fund. This unique program challenges students to design and build their own formula-style vehicles—developing their engineering, creative and collaborative skills.”
“As a University Trustee and a proud graduate of the UChicago Law School, I am well aware of the positive impact that UChicago scholarship has on the world, and I am proud that the Gracias Family Foundation will play such an important role in that effort,” said Antonio Gracias, JD’88, founder, chief executive and chief investment officer of Valor Equity Partners. “I cannot wait to see what UChicago’s brilliant scholars are able to accomplish.”
