Unlucky Investor Ron Perelman Returns With $25M Donation to Brown

Don’t call it a comeback. Fresh from a bankruptcy filing at Revlon, where he was formerly the largest shareholder, Ron Perelman has donated $25 million to establish an “arts district” in his name at Brown University. Perelman embanked on a mass sell-off of assets starting in 2020—including two jets and a 280-foot superyacht to stay afloat as recently as 2020—that raised questions about the state of his finances. Princeton University removed his name from a new dorm building in 2021 when his promised $65 million donation never appeared. But according to a press release, Perelman is the funder behind the conglomerate of performance, research, teaching and training spaces that will serve as a hub for the arts at Brown. “I am so pleased to be able to support this extraordinary project that will be a beacon for arts and creativity for generations to come,” he said in the release. Perelman is a former Brown trustee and the father of two Brown graduates.