Real estate developer Rick Caruso, known for swanky shopping centers, hotels and apartments, is putting his name on a different kind of property. The West L.A. billionaire and his wife Tina have given $25 million to USC to endow and name the Tina and Rick Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and the Caruso Family Center for Childhood Communication.

The Carusos’ biggest philanthropic gift to date, it’s tied to a very personal cause. Their 15-year-old daughter Gianna has suffered from mild to moderate hearing loss since birth and has been treated at USC, the entrepreneur’s alma mater.

Caruso, who sits on USC’s board, had been working with the institution on a significant gift and had been impressed by the treatment Gianna had received, particularly a device implanted in her ear that allowed her to hear more clearly.

“It was remarkable, a miracle for us,” Caruso said, explaining how hearing loss had impacted his daughter’s life. “If you’re in a classroom and can’t hear what the teacher is saying, people think you’re dumb. You get ostracized.”

He said Gianna quickly learned to read lips, but even that had its limits.

“When the teacher turns around, you can no longer hear,” he said. “At sleepovers, when they turn out the lights at night, you can’t hear what they’re talking about.”

The Carusos were inspired to support research at USC’s ear, nose and throat department and also help disadvantaged kids get access to hearing treatments otherwise unavailable to them.

“Tina and I had a history of giving and have done it for many years very quietly –this is obviously not that quiet – for causes that support children in need of quality health care and education,” Caruso said. “I didn’t want our name on anything, never do…the university felt very strongly that with our name on it, it would encourage others to do the same in other areas and make a difference.”

By helping fund USC’s research into therapies that restore hearing, department chair Dr. John Niparko said the large gift would help bridge the gap in government grants and possibly help bring a new technology to market.

“NIH budgets have been constrained for some time now, and that has led research communities to pull in their vision in some respects,” said Niparko, who’s been working on a drug that regenerates fragile hair cells damaged during hearing loss. “They can’t really take high risk opportunities.”