Rice Donations & Grants

Rice Donations & Grants (Selected Beneficiaries)

The Rice Foundation has supported a long list of beneficiaries over the years. Below is a structured summary of some key donations and grants made by Dan and Ada Rice (or their foundation), highlighting institutions that received major support and often have named facilities honoring the Rices:

• Chicago Botanic Garden: Received an $8 million challenge grant from the Rice Foundation toward its Plant Conservation Science Center, which opened in 2009. The state-of-the-art research building is named the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center, anchoring the Garden’s science campus.
• Art Institute of Chicago: Dan and Ada donated $10 million for the museum’s expansion in the late 1980s. In recognition, a modern wing/building of the museum carries the Rice name.
• John G. Shedd Aquarium: The Rices gave $3 million to the Shedd Aquarium, helping fund the Oceanarium (marine mammal pavilion) in 1991. The Shedd named the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Marine Mammal Pavilion, including the dolphin show pool, amphitheater, and underwater viewing galleries, in their honor.
• Chicago History Museum (Chicago Historical Society): A $2 million gift from the Rice Foundation helped renovate the museum; the front plaza and pavilion were named the Rice Pavilion. This very visible naming on Clark Street acknowledges the Rices’ dedication to Chicago history.
• Brookfield Zoo: The Rice Foundation has been a significant donor to the Chicago Zoological Society. The Zoo’s center for genetic research and breeding programs is the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Conservation and Biology Research Center, which houses labs for studying species and subspecies genetics.
• Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (now Shirley Ryan AbilityLab): The Rices contributed to this world-renowned rehab hospital. The inpatient treatment wing was named the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Patient Treatment Center, recognizing their support for cutting-edge medical rehabilitation.
• Adler Planetarium: The Adler once housed the Rice Solarium, a sun-filled atrium cafeteria space, named after a contribution from the Rice Foundation. (Note: The Adler has since renovated, and the naming may no longer be in use, but it was present in mid-20th century.)
• Lyric Opera of Chicago: In 1994, the Lyric Opera’s ornate main lobby (with its Austrian crystal chandeliers) was dedicated as the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Grand Foyer after a major gift to restore and endow the historic space. The Rices, lovers of culture, thereby left their mark on Chicago’s opera house.
• North Shore Center for the Performing Arts (Skokie, IL): The Rice Foundation partnered with the Village of Skokie to build this theater complex in 1996. Their contribution was pivotal in creating this community arts venue, which hosts theater, music, and dance performances for the northern suburbs.
• Benedictine University (Lisle, IL): Dan and Ada supported what was then Illinois Benedictine College. In October 1977 – shortly after Ada’s death – the college dedicated its new athletic facility as the Dan and Ada Rice Center, which includes a fieldhouse, competition pool, and arena. Decades later, in 2010, Dan and Ada Rice were inducted into Benedictine’s Athletic Hall of Fame, underscoring their lasting legacy at the school.
• Illinois Institute of Technology (Wheaton Campus): The Rices donated 19 acres of land in Wheaton that became IIT’s suburban graduate campus. Opened in 1991, it is officially the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Campus of IIT. This campus focuses on information technology and management programs, extending educational opportunities to Chicago’s west suburbs.
• Wheaton Park District – Community Center and Rice Pool: Ada and Dan gifted 13 acres to the Wheaton Park District, enabling the construction of the Community Recreation Center and Rice Pool & Water Park. Opened in the early 1980s, Rice Pool is a beloved summer attraction in Wheaton (with water slides, lap pools, etc.), and the community center offers gyms and meeting spaces – all made possible by the Rices’ land donation. Tens of thousands of residents benefit from these facilities every year.
• Morton Arboretum: The Rices (and later their foundation) have supported the arboretum’s research and tree conservation work. A notable result is the Ulmus x Danada Charm elm tree, a disease-resistant hybrid elm named for Danada to honor the Rice contribution toward elm disease research. Arboretum records also credit the Rice Foundation with helping fund the visitor center and gardens.
• Children’s Home & Aid (Evanston): The Rice Child + Family Center, a residential treatment facility in Evanston for youth with emotional and behavioral needs, was established with Rice Foundation funding. It provides therapy, schooling, and housing for children healing from trauma, aligning with the Rices’ focus on preventing child abuse and aiding disadvantaged youth.
• Field Museum of Natural History: Beyond the Rice Gallery for exhibits, the foundation’s recent funding of the Rice Native Gardens (completed 2020) has transformed the museum’s grounds into a showcase of native Illinois ecology. This project not only beautifies the campus but serves as an educational living exhibit on sustainability and biodiversity, involving partnerships with community groups.
• Illinois Conservation Foundation / IDNR: As mentioned, the Rice Foundation is a lead sponsor of the Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Grant program, contributing to nearly $360,000 distributed for school nature projects in 86 of Illinois’ 102 counties. This program empowers teachers and students to create pollinator gardens and wildlife habitats, directly reflecting Dan and Ada’s love of nature and education.
• Local Museums and Cultural Centers: The foundation often appears in donor lists for institutions like the Museum of Science and Industry, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Kohl Children’s Museum (which has a hands-on art exhibit area funded by Rice Foundation), and even smaller entities like the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art (gemstone museum) which acknowledged a Rice Foundation grant in 2023. These numerous grants, while perhaps smaller individually, collectively enhance the cultural fabric of the community.
• Religious and Civic Causes: The Rices quietly supported Catholic charities and their local parish. Also, Dan was a longtime Boy Scouts supporter – the Rices gave $100,000 to the Boy Scouts of America in the 1960s to establish a camping facility for handicapped Scouts. Moreover, Ada’s involvement with the Naperville Edward Hospital extended to foundation grants aiding its expansion and the creation of what is now Edward-Elmhurst Health’s programs.
  

This is not an exhaustive list! The Rice Foundation has touched many more organizations (from medical research at places like the University of Chicago Medicine to environmental groups and beyond). But the above highlights show the breadth of philanthropy: arts, culture, science, education, health, human services, environment, few foundations have such a broad impact. The unifying theme is that these were all causes the Rices “believed in,” consistent with the foundation’s guiding principle.

To give a sense of scale: by the late 1980s, one article noted the Rices had given away at least $12.4 million via the foundation and personal gifts. By the late 2010s, the total charitable impact would be many times that, considering investment growth and ongoing disbursements. In many ways, the Rices’ greatest race was the race to better their community, and through their foundation’s grants, they certainly won that in the long run.

(Sources for the above include the Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, and official donor acknowledgments from recipient institutions, which document the Rices’ donations and the resulting named facilities)