$300 million latest gift to university athletics from longtime donor and alumnus David Booth
The University of Kansas announced an unprecedented gift from alumnus David G. Booth of Austin, Texas.
The extraordinary gift, valued at approximately $300 million, is the largest in Kansas Athletics and University of Kansas history, ranking among the most significant single gifts in the history of college athletics.
Booth, a graduate of both Lawrence High School and the University of Kansas, is an investing legend and founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors. This global investment firm manages $853 billion in assets as of June 30, 2025.
Booth’s visionary gift includes a $75 million challenge to other donors that launches the next phase of progress on the Gateway District and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. The remainder of his commitment will generate a stream of income that will strengthen Kansas Athletics across generations.
“David’s unprecedented generosity is transformative now and for our future,” said KU Athletics Director and Vice Chancellor Travis Goff.
“It accelerates phase II of the Gateway District and the new ‘Booth’ and inspires others to step up and join in completing this vision. We’re profoundly grateful for David’s leadership and extraordinary impact on generations of student-athletes and fans. There is no more generous and impactful Jayhawk, and we are so fortunate to call him a friend and mentor.”
It’s not just the scale of the gift that is remarkable, but what it will accomplish.
Booth’s commitment will propel the Gateway District’s next phase, which adds to private and civic investment for a new hotel, additional retail and restaurant spaces, student housing, improved parking and an outdoor event plaza.
The remainder of Booth’s gift will allow Kansas Athletics to be strategic, innovative and maintain a leadership position in college athletics.
With the advent of revenue sharing and the ongoing changes in NCAA and conference dynamics, his generosity will help enable KU to take the next step in solidifying its position as a national leader in college athletics.
“David has always believed in the power of athletics to unite communities, generate Jayhawk spirit, and create lasting bonds between alumni, students, and fans,” said KU Chancellor Douglas A. Girod. “His generosity is inspiring, and his loyalty to KU runs deep. We are beyond grateful for his transformative gift.”
For Booth, giving back to KU is an investment in the university and its mission.
He hopes his philanthropy will inspire others to also support the Gateway District project and what he calls “the prototype for future football stadiums” at whatever level they can.
“One of life’s greatest privileges is being able to give back to the people and places that gave so much to you,” said Booth. “KU and Lawrence are a big part of my story, and it means a lot to support the community that invested in me. Philanthropy, like investing, pays dividends over time. Each gift compounds, creating opportunities not just for today, but for years to come. This is really about the future we’re building.”
When he was a child, Booth’s parents, Gilbert and Betty Booth, moved the family from their home in Garnett, Kansas, to Lawrence at 1931 Naismith Drive, near Allen Fieldhouse.
The family gathered regularly to listen to KU games on the radio, glued to Max Falkenstien’s iconic voice. At the age of 13, Booth attended his first game through the Boy Scouts, where he worked as an usher in the football stadium.
He later worked basketball games at Allen Fieldhouse by selling popcorn in the stands.
The Lawrence High graduate attended the University of Kansas, earning both a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1968 and a Master of Science in Business Administration in 1969, before earning his Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago in 1971.
Booth founded Dimensional Fund Advisors in 1981 to apply the principles of financial science to practical investment solutions.
Booth started Dimensional in collaboration with several others from the University of Chicago, including Booth’s mentor, former professor and Nobel Laureate Eugene Fama, and classmate Rex Sinquefield, who co-founded the firm.
Booth and Dimensional have been recognized for helping transform the industry toward more transparent, low-cost, and data-driven solutions for investors.
That story was recently profiled by Academy Award-winning director Errol Morris in the film “Tune Out the Noise.”
Booth’s landmark gift is the most recent in his long legacy of support at KU, helping transform athletics and its impact on the university.
Booth provided a foundational gift of $50 million in 2017 to kick off the stadium’s renovations, which were named for him in 2018.
In 2010, he donated James Naismith’s original rules of basketball to the university, a top attraction at the Booth Family Hall of Athletics, which he and his family had provided $5 million for in 2004, followed by an additional $4 million for subsequent improvements.
His philanthropy is legendary and spans various areas, including the arts and academia.
Previously, he provided a gift valued at $300 million to the University of Chicago School of Business, where he earned his MBA. The school was named the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in his honor.
With KU’s football season opener around the corner, Booth’s excitement to get back to the stadium is growing.
“I feel the same inspiration that I felt as an usher in the stadium in 1960,” Booth said. “I was blown away by all the people in the stands, the Jayhawk spirit. I’m feeling the same way now—I’m ready to celebrate with everyone.”
The KU Endowment is an independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for the University of Kansas. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment was the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.
Kansas Athletics is a not-for-profit corporation that was organized in 1925 to foster development of intercollegiate athletics in conjunction with the educational activities of the University of Kansas.
Kansas Athletics operates the varsity intercollegiate athletic programs (18 men’s and women’s intercollegiate teams) of the University of Kansas in facilities owned by the State of Kansas.
A primary comprehensive research and teaching university with an enrollment of approximately 30,000, the university provides outstanding excellence in education and research.