The University of Chicago has announced a $100 million gift from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous that will help advance the university’s commitment to advancing free inquiry and expression.

The gift will build on the university’s leadership on the principles and practice of free expression while advancing the work of the University of Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression. The Chicago Forum was launched by president Paul Alivisatos in 2023 to promote the understanding, practice, and advancement of free and open discourse at UChicago and around the world, and in its first year hosted more than a dozen events, while extending its reach through the Academic Freedom Institute, which provided workshops to college and university leaders on implementing academic freedom programs at their institutions. The gift will foster the rapid expansion of the Chicago Forum’s work, including new events and initiatives, expanding education to leaders beyond academia, and expanding the forum’s orientation programming.

In addition, the Chicago Forum will launch a free expression fellowship program across campus, providing the opportunity for junior scholars to pursue an idea related to free inquiry and expression, as well as support faculty and student research on issues related to free expression in universities, in other sectors of contemporary societies, and throughout history.

“The University of Chicago has an unparalleled history of devotion to upholding free inquiry and expression. Our community has developed principles and policies that are widely seen as global exemplars in our quest to be a place of truth seeking. Yet it is not enough to proclaim principles. Living them is a never-ending journey. Engaging in that work with purpose is more essential to society now than ever,” said Alivisatos. “This remarkable gift will underpin an enduring Chicago Forum for Free Inquiry and Expression and will allow us to significantly deepen the understanding and practices here at the University of Chicago. Equally important, it will enable us to expand this important work on a much larger scale.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Jacob Boomsma)