Ranked by Business Week as one of the 50 most generous philanthropists in the nation, it was estimated in 2008 that Donald Bren, Chairman of the Irvine Company and dedicated philanthropist, had given more than $1.3 billion focused in the areas of education, conservation and research. At the University of California, both privately and through the Donald Bren Foundation, he has directed more than $60 million to support faculty and programmatic excellence. The Irvine Company and the Donald Bren Foundation have contributed more than $200 million to K-12 public schools on The Irvine Ranch and to higher education institutions. As an arts supporter, Bren has donated millions in charitable contributions to the OC arts community, to such beneficiaries as the OC Performing Arts Center and OC Museum of Art. Additionally, Bren is involved in environmental conservation, guiding major preservation efforts on The Irvine Ranch – 93,000 acres stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Cleveland National Forest. In total as a result of Bren’s conservation efforts, more than half of the entire ranch – more than 50,000 acres – has been permanently preserved as open space and park lands. These lands have been designated Natural Landmarks by both the U.S. Department of the Interior and the State of California.