2024 Summer Issue of Urban Land - 28

PHILANTHROPIC IMPACT
The Chair's Fund will provide essential support for ULI's
programs and operations, empowering the organization's
mission and advancing the vision of its members. "
-DOUG ABBEY, ULI FOUNDATION CAPITAL CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIR
Nancy Stack says, all the patients
who underwent the first phase are
doing very well.
Jeff Stack is quick to credit his
wife's determination for the Cystinosis
Research Foundation's remarkable
achievements. " Nancy singlehandedly
took this [task] on in 2003,
and she has created an unbelievable
organization of research and medical
advancement that is just unparalleled, "
he says.
Support for other
community programs
The Stacks' philanthropic vision
extends beyond the Cystinosis
Research Foundation, as well. In
2007, they established the Nancy
and Geoffrey Stack Family Foundation
to support education, health
care, and other community programs
in Orange County-where they
live-and beyond. " We've been very
blessed financially over the years,
and both Nancy and I have talked
extensively about how we could use
that money to do good things, " Jeff
says. " We're planning to give away
the vast majority of the money that
we've made over the years-ultimately,
90-plus percent of it will go
to charity through the Stack Family
Foundation. "
Their recent donations include $5
million to establish a gene therapy
initiative at the University of California,
San Diego, that will research
gene-based therapies for people
with genetic disorders; and $2 million
toward the new UCI Health-Irvine
medical campus, including the new
emergency department and the
Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer
Center and Ambulatory Care building.
They have also contributed funds
to provide scholarships to numerous
28
URBAN LAND SUMMER 202 4
students; supported organizations
that assist disadvantaged individuals
in accessing education; and donated
to ULI Learning, which offers courses
in topics relevant to the commercial
real estate industry.
Powering the future of ULI
Among their diverse philanthropic
endeavors, the Stacks' gift to the
ULI Chair's Fund holds a special significance
for them. " The reason we
decided to donate to the ULI Chair's
Fund is that, in the long run, it provides
funds for ULI to continue to
do its work and support the people
who are running ULI, both the paid
professionals and the volunteers, "
Jeff Stack says. " We felt that this ...
incredible opportunity to give some
money ... would continue to keep ULI
moving ahead to accomplish its mission,
far beyond my lifetime. "
Abbey echoes this sentiment,
highlighting the transformative
potential of the Chair's Fund. " This
is the Urban Land Institute's first
capital campaign, " he says. " When
we started out, we knew that people
were attached to the Urban Land
Institute for professional reasons
but did not think of ULI as one of
their priorities for charitable giving,
[many] of which were [focused on]
universities, hospitals, and faith organizations. "
As
the campaign progressed, however,
Abbey found that ULI's three
mission priorities-decarbonizing
the real estate industry, increasing
housing attainability, and educating
future leaders-resonated deeply
with members. " Many people in the
real estate industry have had great
success and are looking for ways to
pay it forward, " he says. " A number
of ULI leaders have elected to put
ULI in the top three or four of their
philanthropic priorities, given the
critical opportunity for ULI to-as the
late Jim Curtis, a past ULI Foundation
Chair, was fond of saying-'make
a visible difference.' We're pleased to
have $22 million committed to the
ULI Chair's Fund to date. "
The Stacks' gift, Abbey notes, is
the eighth donation of $5 million
or more to the ULI Foundation and
the latest contribution to the ULI
Chair's Fund. " We're thrilled to welcome
Jeff and Nancy as members
of this important effort, " he says.
" The Chair's Fund will provide essential
support for ULI's programs and
operations, empowering the organization's
mission and advancing the
vision of its members. "
On a personal level, Abbey
expresses admiration for the Stacks'
philanthropy. " Jeff and Nancy
are wonderful friends, " he says.
" Throughout their lifetime, they have
been leaders in their community, in
ULI, and in philanthropy. And specifically,
they have single-handedly led a
successful effort to tackle cystinosis. "
Abbey, a founder of IHP Capital
Partners in Newport Beach, California,
launched the ULI Chair's Fund
with James Klingbeil and Thomas
Toomey via a combined total of $17
million in donations in 2021. Their
generosity, along with support from
others like Jeff and Nancy Stack,
enables ULI to adapt and provide
vital resources needed to navigate
the challenges of our ever-changing
world. UL
RON NYREN is a freelance architecture, urban
planning, and real estate writer based
in the San Francisco Bay area.
2024 Summer Issue of Urban Land

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