Ken Griffin doubles down on Miami with a record $3 billion gift to Carnegie Mellon—and plans for a campus in the city Citadel now calls home

Citadel CEO Ken Griffin has committed a staggering $3 billion gift to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), making it the largest individual donation ever given to a higher education institution. The bulk of this money, $2 billion, will be used to establish a brand new campus in Miami, while the remaining $1 billion will support CMU's existing Pittsburgh campus. The Miami campus will be built in the Wynwood neighborhood, an arts and entertainment district known for its growing tech presence.

Griffin, a Florida native who relocated his family and Citadel's headquarters to Miami in 2022, believes that the city offers "great schools, a great environment," and a safe and clean atmosphere for his children. He has personally invested over $5.7 billion in education, opportunity, and health sciences causes, citing his belief that education leads to prosperity.

The new CMU Miami campus will depart from the traditional model by focusing on societal challenges rather than academic majors. Topics such as human health, national security, energy and climate resilience, and advanced manufacturing and industrial transformation will be emphasized. The campus is expected to accommodate over 3,500 undergraduate, master's, and Ph.D. students, along with around 300 faculty members.