donorexecutive

    Ken Griffin

    Founder and chief executive of Citadel, and the donor behind the largest gift to a US college or university on record.

    Founder and chief executive, Citadel

    Giving tracked
    $3 billion
    Gifts
    1

    Background

    Ken Griffin is the founder and chief executive of Citadel. On September 30, 2026, he committed $3 billion to Carnegie Mellon University, the largest single donation to a US college or university on record. It passed the previous record, Michael Bloomberg's $1.8 billion gift to Johns Hopkins in 2018, by more than a billion dollars.

    Two billion dollars of the gift will build a new Carnegie Mellon campus on a 35-acre site in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood, with construction expected to start in 2027. The other billion goes to Pittsburgh, half of it to the School of Computer Science. Griffin, a Harvard graduate, moved Citadel's headquarters to Miami in 2022.

    Donations by Ken Griffin

    RecipientAmount
    Carnegie Mellon UniversityRead the story$3 billion

    Key facts

    Role
    Founder and CEO, Citadelsource
    Largest gift tracked
    $3 billion to Carnegie Mellon Universitysource
    Education
    Harvard Universitysource
    Based in
    Miami, where Citadel moved its headquarters in 2022source

    WYDE coverage of Ken Griffin

    Sources

    Follow the money in philanthropy.

    Who gives, who receives, and what it funds. Every Friday.