PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A $31.6 million gift from Diana Nelson and John Atwater will fund a central convening space in the cutting-edge performing arts center being planned at Brown and support other essential University priorities.
Of the couple’s total gift, $20 million will create the Diana Nelson and John Atwater Lobby in the performing arts center (PAC), a project envisioned as a hub for music, dance, theatre and multimedia arts scholarship at Brown. Among other strategic priorities, the additional $11.6 million will support the Brown Annual Fund and The Brown Promise, an initiative that has replaced loans with scholarship funds in all University financial aid packages.
The gift extends a long track record of volunteer and financial support for Brown by Nelson and Atwater. Atwater is a Brown Corporation member and Class of 1983 graduate who is founder and CEO of Prime Group, a leading real estate equity and investment firm. His wife, Nelson, is chair of the global hospitality and travel company Carlson and board president at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. They have five children and live in San Francisco…
