The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, has received a $10 million gift from longtime supporters Sam Zell, the real estate magnate, and his wife, Helen, a museum board member, through the Zell Family Foundation, to create what they are calling “The Zell Fund for Artistic Excellence.”

“This is an open gift that will go toward what we call our Vision initiatives,” Madeleine Grynsztejn, director of the museum, said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. “It will help underwrite programs such as our outdoor summer plaza series, exhibitions and artist residency programs. The money will also go toward the museum’s digital initiatives including our Web site and multimedia applications inside the museum and out.”

In addition, Ms. Grynsztejn added, the gift will help the museum beef up its educational programs and raise the museum’s civic visibility through greater community outreach.

Half of the money will also go toward paying off some debt the institution incurred when it built its new home, which opened in 1996.