At least 10 of the top 50 US charitable donors of 2011 gave funds to support scientific research, according to the Philanthropy 50 report released on 6 February by The Chronicle of Philanthropy in Washington DC. The top 50 donors gave a total of US$10.4 billion, up from $3.3 billion in 2010. The Chronicle speculates that the increase is due to some economic recovery and a perceived need for funds at universities. Donations included $70 million to the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, Washington, for neuroscience and genomics research; $59.2 million to the Ellison Medical Foundation in Bethesda, Maryland, for biomedical research; and $25 million to Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, to launch an energy-research institute.