Impacts of Giving

Legacy of learning: Alum’s charitable gift annuity opens doors for student researchers

Supporting public education and opening doors for the next generation of students are top priorities for retired cardiologist Bob Blumberg ’67, a double UC alum who earned his bachelor’s degree from UC Davis and his medical degree from UC San Francisco in 1971. 

Thanks to a charitable gift annuity (CGA), he can do exactly that. While receiving income from his gift, Blumberg has established a fund to provide undergraduate scholarships for first-generation students in the College of Biological Sciences.

Celebrating excellence in stewardship

Each year, the UC Davis Foundation honors faculty and staff who go above and beyond to engage donors and nurture relationships. Created in 2015, the Faculty and Staff Stewardship Awards recognize individuals who demonstrate a key part of the foundation’s mission—highlighting the impact of philanthropy and stewarding gifts to the university.

The 2025 awards were presented at a ceremony on October 17 by UC Davis Foundation Chair Deborah J. Neff ’76. The recipients are:

Alumni wine club celebrates fifth anniversary by awarding two scholarships

Five years, dozens of wineries and countless toasts later, UC Davis’ Aggies Uncorked Alumni Wine Club is preparing to celebrate a major milestone this fall.

On Nov. 15, alumni and friends will gather at the Walter A. Buehler Alumni Center for the club’s fifth anniversary celebration — an evening filled with fine wine, camaraderie, and a toast to the transformative impact alumni winemakers and members have made together.

$110.5M in gifts fuel UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine expansion

The University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine today announced plans to launch a new phase of its veterinary medical complex — made possible by philanthropic gifts totaling $110.5 million to date. The expansion will help address the critical veterinary workforce shortage, expand patient care and support cutting-edge research in cancer, translational medicine and other key areas of biomedical science.

How a Sweatshirt Sparked a $60K Gift

Each year, Nichols and her husband, Ron, give a portion of their retirement using a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) to the same scholarship fund that supported her decades ago.

Accelerating momentum

In its second-greatest year of fundraising yet, the University of California, Davis, raised nearly $318 million in the year ended June 30, 2025. Donors supported a wide range of university programs and initiatives, helping drive student success, fuel groundbreaking research, enhance health care and much more.

Alum Kevin Bacon receives 2025 Charles J. Soderquist Award

On May 1, the UC Davis Foundation presented Kevin Bacon ’72 with the 2025 Charles J. Soderquist Award at a celebratory luncheon.

Named in honor of the widely esteemed UC Davis alum and entrepreneur who was dedicated to advancing the university, the award recognizes Aggies who demonstrate Soderquist’s legacy of exceptional philanthropy, volunteerism and leadership within the UC Davis community.

Alumni couple to receive 2025 UC Davis Medal, university’s highest honor

The 2025 UC Davis Medal will be awarded to Michael C. and Renée Z. Child, who have dedicated themselves to the University of California, Davis, and their communities throughout their lives.

The alumni couple, who met as undergraduates in the early 1970s, have remained deeply committed to UC Davis, volunteering their leadership and insight to advance many areas of the university.

Sue Ebeler wins 2024 Women & Philanthropy Impact Award

For Sue Ebeler, M.S. ’85, Ph.D. ’93, the most rewarding part of her career isn’t the research awards or the international recognition — it’s the students whose lives she has changed.

As a professor of viticulture and enology and associate dean of Undergraduate Academic Programs in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Ebeler has spent more than 30 years at UC Davis building a culture of belonging, mentorship and opportunity. Her leadership has empowered countless students to find their place and thrive.

Gift extends UC Davis pistachio research: In search of new scions, rootstocks

Warming weather, water scarcity and a loss of winter fog threaten pistachio production in California’s southern San Joaquin Valley, potentially disrupting one of the state’s most valuable crops.  

The University of California, Davis, is enhancing and expanding its Pistachio Breeding Program after a generous gift from philanthropist and pistachio farmer Rod Stiefvater, who is donating more than $335,000 over three years to develop new rootstocks that thrive under changing climate conditions. 

Beaulieu Vineyard donates historic archives to UC Davis Library

More than 60,000 pieces of archival material, including photographs, ledger books and other media make up a new library collection established in the name of Beaulieu Vineyard, or BV, at the University of California, Davis.