According to Crane’s Detroit Business, much of the estate of the late philanthropist William Davidson, who passed away a few weeks ago, may be filtered into the William Davidson Foundation, and the foundation could become one of the largest in the state of Michigan.
According to Davidson’s relatives, the foundation would continue to fund areas that interested Davidson. If this does happen, it could bode very well for the Jewish community.
While Davidson, the late owner of the Detroit Pistons and the chairman of Guardian Industries Corp, gave two $30 million gifts to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, his largest gift — $75 million — went to the Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem for the construction of a 14-story tower in his mother’s name. He also gave $15 million to the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York to establish the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education, according to Craines.
From the story:
While word got out about the major gifts he and his wife made, Davidson “was a quiet philanthropist who didn’t want people to know everything that was being done,” Aronson said.
He made undisclosed gifts to the Jerusalem Archaeological Park and the Davidson Center for Exhibition and Virtual Reconstruction in Jerusalem.
Davidson also donated millions as the founding philanthropist of the Los Angeles-based Professional Leaders Project, a national program to train the next generation of Jewish community service professionals in business and management.
He funded MBA programs and Jewish education programs for hundreds of young people across the U.S. and put a college scholarship program in place for the children of Guardian employees.
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