Key Takeaways
- • Ken Griffin announced a $3 billion donation to Carnegie Mellon University in September, and Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, gave $1.1 billion to Providence Heart Institute, per the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The month had three gifts of $1 billion or more.
- • The Knights followed their Providence gift about a week later with a $1 billion commitment to the University of Oregon.
- • Victor Atkins, a late businessman and former Polaris chairman, left an estimated $200 million bequest to the Middlesex School, a private high school in Concord, Mass.
- • The Atkins bequest directs half to the school's endowment, 25 percent to a faculty endowment, 15 percent to financial aid, and 10 percent to residential programs.
- • Three universities and other nonprofits received gifts of $100 million or more in September, with much of the giving coming from donors who attract less public attention.
Summary
September 2026 was a record month for very large philanthropic gifts, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Three donations of $1 billion or more headlined the month. Hedge fund manager Ken Griffin announced a $3 billion donation to Carnegie Mellon University. Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, gave $1.1 billion to Providence Heart Institute, and about a week later they announced a $1 billion gift to the University of Oregon.
The Chronicle also reported a broader set of major gifts from less publicized donors. The largest of these was an estimated $200 million bequest from the late businessman Victor Atkins to the Middlesex School, a 125-year-old private high school in Concord, Massachusetts. Atkins, a member of the class of 1963, had long supported the school. His estate plans directed 50 percent of the bequest to the school's endowment, 25 percent to a faculty endowment intended to maintain a low student-to-teacher ratio, 15 percent to financial aid programs, and 10 percent to the residential program.
Atkins's background included a role as chairman of Polaris, which he helped guide to its first listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995. After graduating from the Middlesex School and later Harvard, he served as a U.S. Navy officer during the Vietnam War and then built a finance career at Blyth, Eastman Dillon & Company and E.F. Hutton, both of which are now defunct. After retiring, he devoted his time to investing his fortune and giving to nonprofits, primarily in higher education, health care, and museums.
Beyond the billion-dollar gifts and the Atkins bequest, the Chronicle reported that three universities and other nonprofits received gifts of $100 million or more during the month.
The Chronicle also reported a broader set of major gifts from less publicized donors. The largest of these was an estimated $200 million bequest from the late businessman Victor Atkins to the Middlesex School, a 125-year-old private high school in Concord, Massachusetts. Atkins, a member of the class of 1963, had long supported the school. His estate plans directed 50 percent of the bequest to the school's endowment, 25 percent to a faculty endowment intended to maintain a low student-to-teacher ratio, 15 percent to financial aid programs, and 10 percent to the residential program.
Atkins's background included a role as chairman of Polaris, which he helped guide to its first listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995. After graduating from the Middlesex School and later Harvard, he served as a U.S. Navy officer during the Vietnam War and then built a finance career at Blyth, Eastman Dillon & Company and E.F. Hutton, both of which are now defunct. After retiring, he devoted his time to investing his fortune and giving to nonprofits, primarily in higher education, health care, and museums.
Beyond the billion-dollar gifts and the Atkins bequest, the Chronicle reported that three universities and other nonprofits received gifts of $100 million or more during the month.
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