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Ken Griffin Donates Record $3 Billion to Carnegie Mellon for Miami Campus
Ken Griffin, founder of hedge fund Citadel, has donated a record $3 billion to Carnegie Mellon University—the largest single gift in U.S. higher education history. The donation funds a new 35-acre Miami campus expected to open in 2028 and $1 billion for Carnegie Mellon's Pittsburgh campus, reflecting Griffin's shift of business resources to South Florida.
Quick Facts
- Record $3 billion donation to Carnegie Mellon University
- Construction of new 35-acre campus in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood
- Renaming of School of Computer Science after Griffin
- New educational model focused on grand challenge areas
- Griffin joining Carnegie Mellon's Board of Trustees

Hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin has announced a $3 billion donation to Carnegie Mellon University, the largest single gift ever made to a U.S. university. The donation is split between $2 billion for a new 35-acre campus in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood and $1 billion for Carnegie Mellon's Pittsburgh campus, where the School of Computer Science will be renamed the Kenneth C. Griffin School of Computer Science.
The Miami campus is designed around a new educational model focused on "grand challenge areas" rather than traditional academic majors, including human health and biological discovery, national security and strategic capabilities, energy and climate resilience, and advanced manufacturing and industrial transformation. The campus is expected to enroll approximately 3,500 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students when it launches in 2028, with construction scheduled to begin in 2027.
Griffin's donation reflects his expanding commitment to South Florida. The Citadel founder relocated his hedge fund's global headquarters from Chicago to Miami in 2022 and has stated plans to redirect business resources from New York to Miami. In May 2026, Griffin announced he was expanding his Miami office footprint after a dispute with New York City officials over proposed taxation of luxury properties, including his $238 million penthouse.
Carnegie Mellon President Farnam Jahanian emphasized that the donation responds to rapid technological change, particularly artificial intelligence. "Artificial intelligence represents one of the defining intellectual developments of our time, and it demands that we rethink how we educate students, conduct research and partner with others," Jahanian said. The donation surpasses Michael Bloomberg's $1.8 billion gift to Johns Hopkins University in 2018 and Nike co-founder Phil Knight's $2 billion donation to Oregon Health & Science University in 2025.
Griffin, who attended high school in Miami, is joining Carnegie Mellon's Board of Trustees. The Miami metropolitan area, with a population exceeding 6.4 million, already hosts several major universities including the University of Miami, Florida International University, and Miami Dade College, with combined enrollment around 135,000. Carnegie Mellon previously operated education programs in Florida through its computer science department and partnerships with Miami Dade College.
Why This Matters
The $3 billion donation funds a new Carnegie Mellon campus in Miami scheduled to open in 2028 with 3,500 students, reflecting Griffin's business relocation from Chicago to Miami (completed 2022) and expansion of his Citadel hedge fund's footprint in South Florida. The gift surpasses previous records (Michael Bloomberg's $1.8 billion to Johns Hopkins in 2018; Phil Knight's $2 billion to Oregon Health & Science in 2025) and reshapes higher education investment geography, adding major research capacity to a metropolitan area with 6.4 million residents and existing university enrollment of approximately 135,000.
Timeline & Sources
Jan 1, 2022
WireCitadel relocates global headquarters from Chicago to Miami
Sep 30, 2026
WireGriffin announces $3 billion donation to Carnegie Mellon University
Jan 1, 2028
WireCMU Miami campus expected to launch
Jan 1, 2028
WireMiami campus projected to launch
Sources
- Griffin Commits $3 Billion to Carnegie Mellon in Record DonationbloombergWireSep 30, 2026
- Ken Griffin Carnegie Mellon Donation Miami University 9d32ac503d6a93ab382aa1927b454ecfapWireSep 30, 2026
- Citadel's Griffin Gives $3 Billion to CMU for Miami CampusbloombergWireSep 30, 2026
- Hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin donates $3 billion to Carnegie Mellon as part of his bet on FloridaCNNMediaSep 30, 2026