Here’s how Greg and Dawn Williams’ gift to MSU compares with other donations

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Here's how Greg and Dawn Williams' gift to MSU compares with other donations

New MSU football coach Pat Fitzgerald alludes to Michigan rivalry at press conference

New MSU football coach Pat Fitzgerald alludes to the Michigan rivalry while speaking at his introductory press conference on Dec. 2, 2025, in East Lansing.

EAST LANSING – Greg and Dawn Williams’ $401 million donation to MSU is significant for a number of reasons.

It’s the largest single donation in the university’s history.

And the $390 million set aside for athletics is believed to be one of, if not the, largest donation to a college athletic department ever in the United States.

It easily surpassed the $300 million donated to the University of Kansas by alumnus David Booth, founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors.

Here’s a look at the other largest one-time gifts in MSU history, based on a list released by MSU.

Mat Ishbia

CEO and chairman of United Wholesale Mortgage Mat Ishbia once held the title for largest single donation made to the university’s athletic program. In 2021, he donated $32 million to the department, which was, at the time, the largest single donation the university had ever received, according to MSU spokesperson Amber McCann.

Ishbia has made additional commitments over the years, including making a $14 million contribution to help pay for ex-football coach Mel Tucker’s $95 million contract.

Edward Minskoff

In 2018, Spartan alumnus Edward Minskoff made a $30 million donation to the university. The gift was, at the time, the largest single gift from an individual.

The money went toward the completion of the Edward J. Minskoff Business Pavilion at the Eli Broad College of Business.

The pavilion opened in fall 2019.

Minskoff has a long history of philanthropy at Michigan State, with support dating back to 1964. In 2013, the university presented him with the Philanthropist of the Year award, according to a university announcement.

Ben and Barb Maibach

According to university spokesperson Amber McCann, the Maibachs are among the university’s top donors as well.

They are currently serving as co-chairs along with Greg and Dawn Williams for the university’s $4 billion “Uncommon Will. Far Better World.” campaign.

The university did not release the amount the Maibach’s have donated to MSU.

Here are two other major contributors not included in what MSU released:

Eli and Edythe Broad

With names on both the school’s art museum and college of business, Eli and Edythe Broad made multiple significant donations to the university over the years. According to past reporting, the couple had given around $115 million.

In 1991, Eli Broad gave the university $20 million to the College of Business. The couple donated $28 million for the construction of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum on the university campus as well, which opened in 2012.

Steve St. Andre

Steve St. Andre, chairman and founder of digital marketing firm Shift Digital, donated $10 million toward Mel Tucker’s $95 million contract in 2021.

Other notable donations from athletes

Here are some other notable donations in MSU athletic history, compiled from news reports:

Spartan basketball great Steve Smith donated $2.5 million in the late 90s to create the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center. The donation, the largest known donation from an athlete to his or her school at the time, honors Smith’s mother.

Former Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane donated $4 million in 2008 toward the building of McLane Baseball Stadium, which opened in 2009 and included new grandstands and a press box.

Former Spartan Draymond Green, a longtime NBA star with the Golden State Warriors, in 2015 gave MSU $3.1 million in support of the men’s basketball program, the largest known donation from an active pro athlete to a college or university at the time. When a reported noted his donation was $100,000 more than the one made by Magic, and asked if he was starting a donation competition with Johnson, Green said: “I hope so.”