$45 million new gift from Ken Griffin to New York and Miami schools

Miami Dade College (MDC) announced that Citadel founder and CEO Kenneth C. Griffin has made a transformational gift of $20 million to increase access and opportunity for MDC students. Griffin’s gift is the largest single philanthropic gift in MDC history.

The gift will be used to establish the Griffin Scholarship Fund, which will provide access to a high-quality college education for all qualifying students graduating from high school in Miami-Dade County.

“We are deeply grateful to Ken Griffin for this historic gift,” said MDC President Madeline Pumariega. “The Griffin Scholarship Fund will transform countless lives in our community and accelerate our mission to ensure that every student has a path to economic mobility.”

Through the Griffin Scholarship Fund, students will receive the resources they need to earn a college degree, such as tuition assistance, books, tutors and career coaches. It will also facilitate study abroad opportunities, emergency funds and additional wraparound services, including help transferring to top universities upon the completion of an associate degree.

“Miami Dade College is the on-ramp to the American Dream for tens of thousands of Floridians each year. By empowering students with vital skills and creating lifelong learners, MDC transforms lives,” said Griffin. “It is an honor to support such an important institution in our community.”

As Democracy’s College, MDC is committed to transforming students’ lives through academic excellence, innovation and ensuring students have the skills to meet the workforce needs of the future. Half of MDC students are the first in their families to go to college and more than half are from low-income households.

When it comes to promoting students’ economic mobility, MDC ranks first out of 28 Florida public colleges. The College confers more associate degrees than any other college in the nation and ranks #1 in terms of associate degrees conferred to Hispanics and number of students earning industry certifications.

Griffin is among the country’s leading philanthropists. He has long been committed to expanding opportunity and creating strong, vibrant communities, particularly through his work to unlock the power of a high-quality education for more students and to bridge the digital divide. He has supported work to scale high-impact tutoring programs and has funded transformative scholarships that have supported thousands of low-income and first-generation college students. In 2020, as schools closed their doors, Griffin helped convene public and private partners to provide free high-speed broadband access to over 400,000 low-income students across Chicago and Miami, and supported national initiatives aimed at closing the internet affordability gap for more than 18 million households across America. Through his continued philanthropy, Griffin is focused on achieving tangible progress towards enabling all students to achieve their potential and equipping our next generation of leaders with the tools needed to succeed.

Since its inception in 1960, MDC has embraced its role as South Florida’s talent and workforce generator. Home to a unique student body—91% of students identify as Hispanic or Black non-Hispanic and 63 different languages are spoken—MDC is the largest and most diverse college in the nation. As part of its mission, MDC serves as an economic, cultural and civic leader for the advancement of South Florida’s global community.

Success Academy announced that Citadel founder and CEO Kenneth C. Griffin has made a $25 million gift to expand educational opportunities for 10,000 children in New York City. The gift will increase the capacity of Success Academy by more than 50% over the next five years, allowing more children than ever before to benefit from Success Academy’s evidence-based approach to K-12 education.

“We are profoundly grateful for this generous support, and for Ken Griffin’s belief that every child deserves access to great schooling,” said Eva Moskowitz, founder and CEO of Success Academy. “So many poor children are left out of the American Dream because they are assigned to a failing school. We share Ken’s vision of the future for our nation, where every child, regardless of their circumstances, has access to a great school.”

“I am thrilled to support Success Academy’s work to expand access to high-quality education for thousands of students across New York City,” said Griffin. “I passionately believe that a good education is the on-ramp to the American Dream.”

With an enrollment of 20,000, 95% of whom are children of color, admitted by random public lottery, Success Academy schools are among the best in New York State, regularly outperforming affluent suburban and gifted-and-talented schools. In national championships for debate and chess — activities traditionally dominated by selective private and public schools — Success Academy students have consistently placed among the top winners. For the sixth consecutive year, 100% of Success Academy seniors have been accepted to four-year colleges and universities, with about 60% headed to selective and highly selective institutions.

Griffin’s most recent gift builds on his longstanding commitment to unlocking the transformative power of education – and to Success Academy itself. In 2014, Griffin made a $10 million gift to Success Academy that funded the opening of three new public middle schools and sustained the growth of others, allowing thousands of New York City children to access high-quality educational opportunities.

Griffin is among Success Academy’s most generous donors – and one of the country’s leading philanthropists. Ken’s commitment to data-driven solutions continues to create stronger communities today, particularly through his work to bridge the digital divide and deliver life-changing educational opportunities. In 2020, as schools closed their doors, Ken helped convene public and private partners to provide free high-speed broadband access to over 400,000 low-income students across Chicago and Miami, and supported national initiatives aimed at closing the internet affordability gap for more than 18 million households across America. Ken has supported work to scale high-impact tutoring programs and has funded transformative scholarships that have supported thousands of low-income and first-generation college students. Through his continued philanthropy, Ken is focused on achieving tangible progress towards enabling longer, healthier lives, and equipping our next generation of leaders with the tools needed to succeed.

Since its founding in 2006, Success Academy has created the highest-performing public school district in New York state, and a national model of access to excellence for children across all demographics. We currently enroll over 20,000 children in 49 elementary, middle, and high schools. The majority of Success Academy scholars are children of color from low-income households in disadvantaged neighborhoods, admitted through a random public lottery. Our distinctive K-12 approach, designed as a holistic 13-year educational trajectory, leads to student outcomes that outpace even those in affluent suburban schools. To date, 100% of SA’s graduates have been accepted to college, many to highly selective institutions. Most are the first in their families to have the opportunity for higher education. We regularly share our curriculum and methods with educators and school leaders across the country. By scaling excellence and reigniting the civic mission of education, Success Academy is leading a movement to reinvent public education.