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Historic Gift FAQs

St. Louis philanthropists Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield have made a $50 million gift to ÀÏ˾»ú¸£ÀûÍø to accelerate SLU’s rise as a world-class research university.

How does the Sinquefield gift compare to other gifts?
The Sinquefields’ $50 million gift to SLU is the largest gift in the University’s 200-year history. It follows a record-setting $98.6 million in gifts to SLU in fiscal year 2017-18. The second-largest gift in history -- $30 million -- came from the Doisy family for construction of the Doisy Research Center.

What will the historic gift fund?
The Sinquefield gift will fund a new ÀÏ˾»ú¸£ÀûÍø Research Institute that will grow the scale and eminence of the University’s research and scholarship. It will also establish a new Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic Research and provide annual support to SLU’s chess team.

How are the Sinquefields connected to SLU?
Rex Sinquefield is a ÀÏ˾»ú¸£ÀûÍø alumnus who earned his bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and business at SLU; Rex Sinquefield is also a current member of the University’s Board of Trustees. He and his wife Jeanne have contributed to SLU in the past, including generously supporting a dual MA(Ed)/MBA program.

How will this gift impact research at SLU?
The new ÀÏ˾»ú¸£ÀûÍø Research Institute established by the Sinquefield gift will:

• Create a critical mass of highly productive researchers
• Invest in priority research areas
• Launch a growth fund designated to promoting research experiences for undergraduate students.

 How will the Sinquefield gift impact faculty?
Among other initiatives tied to this gift, SLU will create research institute fellowships for early, mid-career and highly accomplished senior faculty. Faculty also will be encouraged to propose and pursue multi-disciplinary research programs that build upon SLU’s existing strengths and have the potential to achieve significant impact. The institute will award $50,000-$100,000 planning grants to promising proposals.

What is the Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic Research?
 The Sinquefields’ gift will also launch the Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic Research and will fund a new director position, the Sinquefield Professor of Economics, to lead the Center.  Housed within the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, the new center will conduct research grounded in applied economics or the study of economic theories in practice.

What impact will the gift have on student research?
A portion of the growth fund through the ÀÏ˾»ú¸£ÀûÍø Research Institute's will be designated to promoting research experiences for undergraduate students, including opportunities for ambitious capstone projects. In addition, the engagement of undergraduate students as collaborators will be encouraged as part of faculty planning grants funded by this gift.

Will this gift fund scholarships?
A portion of the Sinquefields’ gift will support SLU’s chess team, helping to fund student scholarships and player travel to tournaments, among other priorities to advance the University’s chess program.

Will this gift fund new buildings or facilities?
No changes to campus infrastructure are planned to be funded using the Sinquefield gift. The new research institute established by the gift will, however, fund the acquisition of additional resources, such as instrumentation, equipment and technology that are critical to conducting and advancing leading-edge research.