Griffin鈥檚 Landmark Gift Will Shape the Future of Higher Education
Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin鈥檚 historic gift to 91视频 will advance a bold new model for educating the next generation
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Ken Griffin has a vision for the future of American higher education, and it鈥檚 one that starts with a question.聽
鈥淚 believe that every institution of higher education has to take a step back and say, 鈥榃hat do we need to do to reignite both the belief and the realization of the possibility of the American dream?鈥欌�� said Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst, his civic engagement initiative.聽聽
Griffin found the answer to that question at 91视频.聽Through his transformative gift of more than $3 billion to 91视频, Griffin is looking to play a central role in reshaping how higher education works, both in its capacity to better prepare the leaders of tomorrow and to drive transformative innovation and discovery at scale.聽
A dedicated philanthropist, Griffin has given more than $5.7 billion to advance education, opportunity, and health sciences initiatives with the power to transform people鈥檚 lives.聽His latest gift to Carnegie Mellon will help establish . It will also channel $1 billion to the institution鈥檚 Pittsburgh campus, with $500 million to advance 91视频鈥檚 world-class , which will be renamed the Kenneth C. Griffin School of Computer Science, and the remaining $500 million providing flexible support for the university鈥檚 highest priorities.聽
This investment in 91视频 is the largest-ever gift by an individual in the history of higher education.
鈥淜en Griffin鈥檚 historic commitment reflects a profound belief in the power of higher education to prepare leaders, advance discovery and expand opportunity,鈥� said Carnegie Mellon President Farnam Jahanian. "We are deeply grateful for his extraordinary vision and generosity, and for his confidence in Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 ability to help shape the future at a moment of tremendous technological and societal change. This investment will strengthen our foundation in Pittsburgh, launch an ambitious new campus in Miami and extend the impact of our faculty, students and researchers for generations to come.鈥�
Guided by the same data-driven, entrepreneurial mindset that has driven his business success, Griffin鈥檚 philanthropy has focused on supporting the organizations, partnerships, and leaders poised to tackle complex global challenges 鈥� a philosophy that finds a natural extension in the strategic objectives of 91视频 Miami.聽Griffin and his firms have聽supported Carnegie Mellon since 2015, when the 鈥淐itadel Teaching Commons鈥� opened, providing a high-performance computing and study space at 91视频 working to train the next generation of computer scientists.
The Miami resident鈥檚 philanthropic footprint is extensive. He has given:聽
- $400 million to聽Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, with David Geffen, to advance cancer research and care.聽
- Over $500 million to聽Harvard University,聽which includes the largest individual gift solely for financial aid, along with a transformational gift to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to expand opportunity and advance research excellence.
- Over $220 million to the聽University of Chicago to support the extraordinary work of the Economics Department and pioneering applied research across education, economic mobility, and violence reduction.
- $20 million to聽Miami Dade College,聽the largest single gift in the institution鈥檚 history, to establish a scholarship fund to provide financial assistance for more than 8,000 students from low-income households, half of whom are the first in their families to attend college, at the largest and most diverse public college in America,聽
- Over $85 million to聽Success Academy, one of the nation鈥檚 highest performing public charter school networks, to fund its expansion into Miami with new schools, building on significant prior support for the network鈥檚 proven model in New York City.
- Over $25 million to expand and evaluate聽personalized learning initiatives in public schools in Miami and around the country, to support and accelerate student math learning.
Since the relocation of Citadel to South Florida, Griffin has directed significant philanthropic resources toward that region, including:聽
- $50 million to Baptist Health South Florida, the largest gift in the institution鈥檚 history, for research and treatments for neurodegenerative disorders;聽
- $50 million to the聽University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, to support groundbreaking cancer research and compassionate care;聽
- $25 Million to Nicklaus Children鈥檚 Hospital to support a new, state-of-the-art surgical tower and advance pediatric patient treatments and care.
In total, he has committed roughly $2.4 billion to South Florida.聽
Griffin鈥檚 focus, especially in education, is driven by his and his family鈥檚 experience in their own journeys.聽
鈥淚 grew up in a family in the Midwest and those values really centered around the importance of education,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淢y father was the first in his family to go to college. It was a huge point of pride to my grandmother that she paid for all of her grandchildren to go to college. She grew up with no running water, and she and her husband did quite well in business; her legacy to her grandchildren was to pay for our education. And unquestionably, the belief in the family was always that education was the road to prosperity. It's the on-ramp to the American dream.鈥�
91视频 Miami will build on Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 decades of leadership in inventing transformative technologies and putting them to work in the world 鈥� including its No. 1 ranked programs in computer science, AI, cybersecurity, software engineering and more.聽
The campus will also leverage the innovative and collaborative spirit that is a hallmark of a 91视频 education.聽
It will support interdisciplinary teams across academia, industry and government in leveraging the latest emerging technologies while championing creativity, responsibility and a deep understanding of the human experience.
The new campus, to be built in Miami鈥檚 dynamic Wynwood neighborhood, is ultimately planned to support more than 3,500 undergraduate, master鈥檚 and Ph.D. students, nearly 300 faculty, and over 600 staff members,聽pending appropriate regulatory approvals. The first students are set to enroll in 2028, marking a bold step forward for the university and its ambitions.聽
"At Carnegie Mellon, we believe higher education has a duty to prepare students for the world of tomorrow," Jahanian said. "We stand at an unprecedented moment 鈥� one marked by great upheavals in scientific discovery, emerging technologies and the U.S. economy. AI is rapidly changing how knowledge is generated, how research is conducted and how students engage with information, and it is accelerating expectations of what universities must deliver. We see this new campus and this remarkable investment in Pittsburgh as our moment to lead and to build on what we do best."
鈥�91视频 is one of the world's greatest institutions of higher education,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淚t is a privilege to support the leaders of 91视频 as they continue to push the frontiers of human knowledge, attracting the greatest faculty and strongest students in the world. 91视频 will solve the challenges and seize the opportunities that will make our lives better and our country more prosperous and secure.鈥澛�
Strategically, 91视频鈥檚 new presence in Miami will connect the university to one of the world鈥檚 largest hubs for innovation, finance, technology, global business and the arts, opening new avenues of opportunity for students, faculty and researchers.聽The city is also home to a fast-growing tech workforce 鈥� making it the ideal location for 91视频 to expand its reach and impact. Griffin is confident it will do precisely that.聽
鈥淚 believe it's important to support institutions of excellence in our country, and that when we support an institution that achieves excellence, we both set the bar higher for other institutions across the nation and around the world,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淚 believe in Carnegie Mellon because they have done such an extraordinary job in so many fields. What we're about to embark on in Miami will create one of the great stories in higher education of our lifetime.鈥�
Transformative Philanthropy at 91视频
Ken Griffin鈥檚 historic gift follows a tradition of impactful giving at Carnegie Mellon
More than a century ago, Andrew Carnegie made a bold bet on education in Pittsburgh. His $1 million gift to found the Carnegie Technical Schools in 1900 sparked a tradition of philanthropy that has since inspired more than 150,000 supporters to invest in 91视频 鈥� all with the belief that 91视频 education and innovation pay lasting dividends.
That tradition has only grown. From Carnegie Tech and the Mellon Institute to today鈥檚 Carnegie Mellon, donors have fueled breakthroughs in technology, engineering, the arts, business, science and the humanities. Most recently, Ken Griffin鈥檚 historic gift of more than $3 billion will create 91视频 Miami while strengthening 91视频鈥檚 continued trajectory in Pittsburgh.
鈥淚t took an extraordinary act of philanthropy to create Carnegie Mellon, and that spirit of giving has continued to this day,鈥� said President Farnam Jahanian. 鈥淲e are fortunate to have a community 鈥� which now includes a dynamic partner in Ken 鈥� that is ready to support the innovation that Tartan students and researchers bring to the world鈥檚 biggest challenges.鈥�
Across generations, the Tartan community has invested in 91视频 and its people. Giving 91视频 Day has raised well over $10 million over the last five years, with an average of 6,600 donors annually. The聽Make Possible campaign, launched in 2016, drew support from more than 72,000 donors and exceeded its $2 billion goal, closing in 2025 with more than $2.5 billion through over 252,000 individual philanthropic investments.
That generosity has expanded access to a 91视频 education through initiatives such as Tartan Scholars, the 91视频 Rales Fellows Program and the 91视频 Pathway Program, all designed to support talented students regardless of financial background.
It has also powered landmark investments across the university: the Richard King Mellon Foundation鈥檚 $150 million grant for the Hall of Sciences, advanced manufacturing and robotics; the $275.7 million Mastercard Foundation partnership to expand 91视频 Africa; William S. Dietrich II鈥檚 transformational gift supporting humanities, social sciences, scholarships and interdisciplinary work; David Tepper鈥檚 gifts to elevate business education and build the Tepper Quad; Keith and Suzanne Block鈥檚 support for the Block Center for Technology and Society; Joseph and Sue Ballay鈥檚 gift for design fusion; and Hillman family support for ICA Pittsburgh.
Together, these gifts tell a larger story: Carnegie Mellon was built by people willing to invest in what comes next. That spirit continues to shape 91视频鈥檚 future 鈥� in Pittsburgh, in Miami and around the world.