A $5 million gift from the Brittingham Family Foundation will name the USC Marshall School of Business’ Society and Business Lab and expand the reach of its programs.

The newly named Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab will be at the forefront of pioneering education to train the next generation of social entrepreneurs.

The gift will enhance the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab’s capacity to leverage cutting-edge knowledge and professional expertise to solve some of the world’s most pressing social problems. It is the first major gift in a $15 million initiative to support the center.

“Thanks to the generosity of the Brittingham Family Foundation and its philanthropic board members, Scott and Ella Brittingham, we will be able to build new partnerships across the university, identifying opportunities to tackle critical social, environmental and health challenges from a business perspective,” said Adlai Wertman, founding director of the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab and a professor with joint appointments at USC Marshall and the USC Rossier School of Education. The Brittinghams are USC alumni, Scott earning his MBA in 1988 and Ella a bachelor’s degree in English in 1992.

The Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab will enable students to use business tools to solve societal, health and environmental problems. (Photo/William Vasta)

Housed at USC Marshall, the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab serves students and faculty throughout USC, as well as alumni and practitioners from around the globe, with programs, events and career development focused on promoting social entrepreneurship.

“Since its establishment in 2008, the Society and Business Lab has enjoyed enormous popularity among our students, and its resources have been in high demand,” said USC Marshall Dean James G. Ellis. “We look forward to empowering more students, both at Marshall and beyond, to use their USC education to have a long-term positive impact on the world.”

Scott Brittingham noted that multiple factors steered the foundation toward making the gift.

“For us, it was win-win,” he said, “a way to support Marshall and USC while also supporting students who share our mission of addressing social, educational, health and environmental challenges.”

More stories about: Donors, Social Entrepreneurship