$4M pledge pushes Institute on California and the West endowment campaign past halfway mark

The Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West (ICW), based at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, has received a $4 million pledge toward its $10 million endowment campaign from a longtime friend of the institute who wishes to remain anonymous.

Half of the commitment will support public outreach activities and programs that reflect ICW’s mission to create “new understandings of the past to inform public dialogue in the American West and beyond.” The remaining $2 million will support the institute’s partnerships with nonacademic professionals and practitioners in fields connected to ICW’s research.

The pledge builds on the endowment campaign launched in 2025 with $2.4 million from the WHH Foundation, bringing the total raised to $6.4 million.

“This generous pledge is a tremendous vote of confidence in ICW’s mission and in the public value of the humanities,” said William Deverell, founding director of ICW and USC Dornsife divisional dean for the social sciences. “It also brings us within striking range of our $10 million goal to secure the long-term future of our outreach, collaborations and scholarship.”

Founded in 2004 as a partnership between USC Dornsife and The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, ICW connects scholars, students and community members through research, teaching and public engagement on the history and culture of the American West.