Eli Broad is a prominent Los Angeles philanthropist and founder of two Fortune 500 companies. On September 4, 2008, Eli and Edythe Broad announced that they were giving $400 million to The Broad Institute, a Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology biomedical research organization. The Broads had previously founded the Institute in 2004 with an initial $100 million gift and then donated an additional $100 million in 2005.Forbes: Billionaire Broad's $600 Million Gene Bet (September 4, 2008)

Broad founded the companies SunAmerica and KB Home. In 1984, Eli and his wife Edythe founded the Broad Art Foundation with an emphasis on contemporary art. In 1999, the couple founded the Broad Education Foundation to improve public education.The Broad Foundation: Eli Broad Their combined $600 million gift to the Broad Institute is the largest donation to support university biomedical research ever.Forbes: Billionaire Broad's $600 Million Gene Bet (September 4, 2008)