New UCLA Chuck Lorre Scholars Program will boost scholarship funding and cultivate leaders in science and technology

An even Bigger Bang: Chuck Lorre’s $24.5 million gift to empower low-income STEM students

By Jonathan Riggs

From left: Television producer and co-creator of “The Big Bang Theory” Chuck Lorre, UCLA Dean of Undergraduate Education Adriana Galván and UCLA Chancellor Block celebrate the launch of the UCLA Chuck Lorre Scholars Program.
Todd Cheney

Key takeaways

  • A $24.5 million pledge from The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation will increase the existing endowment for Big Bang Theory Scholarships at UCLA and fund a new program with comprehensive “wraparound” services and resources for scholarship recipients.
  • The UCLA Chuck Lorre Scholars Program will offer four years of scholarship, mentorship, and other support services beginning the summer before freshman year, as well as opportunities for graduate school funding.
  • The gift will double the amount of undergraduate scholarship recipients with financial need to 80 each year and will transform leadership in STEM fields through greater inclusivity.

First-generation American Jack Reid dreamed of going to UCLA but didn’t think it would be possible financially. In fact, to avoid burdening the family’s limited resources, one of his older sisters had chosen to forgo higher education entirely.

So when the aspiring scientist was notified that he had earned one of UCLA’s Big Bang Theory Scholarships for low-income STEM students — scholarships endowed largely by the family foundation of Chuck Lorre, co-creator of the sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” — he and his family celebrated the life-changing news with a joy that still resonates four years later.

“It meant everything to know that UCLA and The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation believed in me enough to give me this incredible opportunity,” said Reid, today a UCLA microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics major. “I can focus on following my dreams and not on all the obstacles that could have held me and my fellow scholarship recipients back.”

Now, with a pledge of $24.5 million from The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation to expand the program’s resources and services, the impact on UCLA students like Reid will grow exponentially.

The gift will fund the creation of the UCLA Chuck Lorre Scholars Program, a comprehensive leadership development program for undergraduates with high financial need who are pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The program will offer scholarship, mentorship and support services to students from the summer before freshman year through to graduate school preparation — as well as up to five years of fellowship funding for program scholars who continue on to graduate studies in STEM fields.

And by adding significantly to The Big Bang Theory Scholarship endowment, originally established in 2015 and enhanced in 2019 to also include graduate fellowships, the gift will allow UCLA to double the number of undergraduate scholars supported — up to 80 each year in perpetuity.

“We are grateful to The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation for helping students in need excel as scholars and leaders,” said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. “The UCLA Chuck Lorre Scholars Program advances our shared goal of transforming STEM through greater inclusivity.”

Read more in UCLA’s Newsroom.