Sanford Weill, the former chair of Citigroup, and Joan Weill are donating $185 million to the University of California, San Francisco, the New York Times reports.
The Weills are known for their donations to East Coast institutions, particularly Cornell University, which Sanford Weill attended, the paper notes. They are now increasing their philanthropy on the West Coast, where they now spend much of their time.
The $185 million donation is one of the largest they've ever made — and the largest UCSF has ever received — and will go toward a neuroscience research center. "Research on the brain, which is the most complex part of the human body, is far behind [other areas]," Sanford Weill tells the Times. "We've always liked to support the underdog."
Neuroscience is of special importance to the Weills as Sanford Weill's mother died of Alzheimer's disease, his dad had depression, and a number of their friends have other neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The Weills often support medical causes, the Times adds. Over the course of a number of years, they've given $500 million to Weill Cornell Medical College.