$55 million gift from Francis and Kathleen Rooney for the Rooney Democracy Institute at university
The University of Notre Dame has announced a landmark gift from Francis and Kathleen Rooney that will endow the newly named Rooney Democracy Institute, formerly known as the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy.
The gift aims to strengthen Notre Dame’s leadership as a national and global center for democracy scholarship and as a convener of bipartisan dialogue about the future of democratic governance.
“Notre Dame’s long tradition of cultivating civil discourse and our ability to convene prominent voices across a range of perspectives have enabled us to lead important conversations about democracy for decades,” said Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., the university’s president.
“Thanks to the extraordinary generosity and vision of Francis and Kathleen, generations of students and scholars will have the opportunity to engage with the political challenges and opportunities of their times in the context of both democratic principles and Catholic social teaching.
We could not be more grateful to the Rooneys for advancing Notre Dame’s mission and expanding our capacity to serve as an authoritative and influential voice in strengthening democracy in America.”
The Rooney Center was first established in 2008 through a gift from the Francis and Kathleen Rooney Foundation and has since become one of the country’s leading academic centers examining the workings of democratic institutions and civic participation.
Over the years, its research has explored topics including legislative politics, democratic inclusion, religion in American democracy, and political psychology.
The center partners closely with the Hesburgh Program in Public Service—the university’s public policy minor—and with the Washington Program, which supports Notre Dame students studying and interning in Washington, D.C.
The Rooneys’ new endowment will ensure continued support for the annual Keeping the Republic Conference and the semiannual Health of Democracy Survey.
According to the university, the Rooney Democracy Institute will build “dream teams” of faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students to study the most pressing issues confronting democracy today.
The expanded endowment will also fund additional staff and programs, allowing the Institute to broaden its reach and impact in public life.
Francis Rooney, who earned both his B.A. (1975) and J.D. (1978) from Georgetown University, is a business leader, diplomat, and public servant. He served as chief executive officer of Rooney Holdings, an investment and holding company based in Naples, Florida, and as chairman of Manhattan Construction Company, builder of iconic projects such as AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, and the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
From 2005 to 2008, he served as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See under President George W. Bush, and from 2017 to 2021, represented Florida’s 19th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Kathleen Rooney has long been active in philanthropic, cultural, and civic life, serving on numerous boards in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Naples, Florida.
The couple’s support for Notre Dame spans decades, including the original endowment of the Rooney Center and the chair of the dean of the School of Architecture.
“Notre Dame is the gold standard for trust in higher education,” Francis Rooney said. “That perspective is needed nowhere more right now than in American politics. Ever since Kathleen and I set foot on this campus many years ago, we felt that Notre Dame was blessed — and we are filled with hope for the way Notre Dame can be a blessing to our nation in the years ahead.”
Through this endowment, the Rooneys are helping Notre Dame expand its capacity to bridge faith and scholarship in service of civic renewal.
At a time when democratic institutions face unprecedented challenges, the Rooney Democracy Institute will carry forward the university’s mission to foster informed, principled dialogue and to prepare the next generation of leaders dedicated to strengthening democracy in America and around the world.