Personal and family gift
University of St. Thomas
The University of St. Thomas states that Schulze and his late wife, Sandra, made a $50 million gift in 2000. The institution says the gift funded Schulze Hall, home of the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, and supported entrepreneurship programs and other university purposes. University profile (opens in a new tab) ↗
Foundation
Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation
The foundation says Schulze created it in 2004. Its publicly stated focus areas include education, health and medicine, and human and social services, with most grantmaking directed to specified counties in Minnesota and Florida. Foundation history (opens in a new tab) ↗ Current focus areas (opens in a new tab) ↗
The foundation has also announced that, beginning in 2027, it plans to move toward invitation-based grantmaking and fewer, larger grants. That is a foundation policy announcement, not a claim about Schulze’s personal giving. 2027 grantmaking notice (opens in a new tab) ↗
Foundation grants described by recipients
Health and medical support
Moffitt Cancer Center announced a $15 million foundation gift in December 2021 to support a planned proton-therapy facility. Moffitt announcement (opens in a new tab) ↗
In July 2024, Mayo Clinic announced a $5 million foundation gift for artificial-intelligence and advanced-technology education. Mayo stated that the foundation’s earlier gifts to Mayo totaled approximately $60 million. The “approximately” qualifier and the attribution to Mayo are important. Mayo Clinic Magazine (opens in a new tab) ↗