CHICAGO--DePaul University will receive $500,000 over five years from The Chicago Community Trust in support of its capital campaign for the William G. McGowan Biological and Environmental Sciences Center.

The Chicago Community Trust made the grant at a critical time during the campaign, which helped to leverage a $750,000 challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation. The trust gift will be given in annual installments of $100,000.

The $12 million, 60,000 square-foot sciences building at 2325 N. Clifton Ave. was completed in August and dedicated in September as part of the university’s yearlong centennial celebration. The two-story, modern structure includes teaching laboratories, faculty research suites, a computer lab, a student lounge and rooftop greenhouses.

As Chicago’s community foundation, The Chicago Community Trust is a union of numerous gifts, which form endowments of nearly $1 billion. Since 1915, the trust has provided an innovative way for area residents to put charitable dollars to work for the benefit of the Chicago-metropolitan area.