The Santa Rosa, California-based Schulz Fund, endowed by "Peanuts" cartoonist Charles "Sparky" Schulz before his death last year at the age of 77, has awarded a $1 million matching gift toward construction of a new $75 million music center at Sonoma State University, the Associated Press reports.

The gift will go to the Santa Rosa Symphony, which is trying to raise $10 million toward construction of the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University. The new center will be named for Don Green, a Sonoma County entrepreneur, and his wife, Maureen, an SSU alumna, who have contributed more than $10 million toward its construction.

"Sparky derived great pleasure from the symphony, and I know he would be very pleased by this challenge," said Schulz's widow, Jean Schulz.