Citadel CEO Ken Griffin pledges $3 billion to Carnegie Mellon University

September 30, 2026 at 02:54 PM2 min

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Citadel CEO Ken Griffin announced a $3 billion commitment to Carnegie Mellon University on Wednesday, including $2 billion to establish a new Miami campus. The pledge is the largest individual gift in higher education history, surpassing the previous record of $2 billion set by Phil and Penny Knight in August 2025. Griffin will join Carnegie Mellon's board of trustees.

Key Facts

The $3 billion pledge is the largest individual gift in higher education history, surpassing the previous record of $2 billion by Phil and Penny Knight to Oregon Health & Science University in August 2025.
Griffin's commitment includes $2 billion in funding to establish a new Carnegie Mellon campus in Miami.
The new Miami campus will span 35 acres in Wynwood, with construction slated to begin in 2027 and enrollment expected to start in 2028.
Griffin, whose net worth is estimated at $57.5 billion by Bloomberg, will join Carnegie Mellon's board of trustees.
Griffin's previous largest donation was $300 million to Harvard University in 2023.

The Gift

Citadel CEO Ken Griffin announced the $3 billion commitment to Carnegie Mellon University on Wednesday. The pledge includes $2 billion in funding to establish a new Miami campus. Carnegie Mellon called the gift 'historic' and said it is the largest individual gift in higher education history. The previous record was a $2 billion gift by Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife Penny to Oregon Health & Science University in August 2025.

Miami Campus

The new Carnegie Mellon campus will span 35 acres in Wynwood, a Miami neighborhood known for its art scene. Construction is slated to begin in 2027, with enrollment expected to start in 2028. The university expects to support more than 3,500 students once the campus is complete. The academic program will be organized around addressing societal challenges such as climate resilience and national security rather than academic majors.

Griffin's Philanthropy

Griffin's previous largest donation was $300 million to Harvard University, his alma mater, in 2023. He also contributed $125 million to the University of Chicago in 2017. Since moving Citadel's headquarters to Miami in 2022, Griffin has become a prolific philanthropist in South Florida. He has made gifts of $50 million apiece to the University of Miami's cancer center, the Baptist Health Foundation's neuroscience institute, and Success Academy.