In what appears to be one of the largest gifts in the history of college athletics, Kansas has received a ‘game changing’ $300million donation from wealthy donor David Booth.
Booth, who has a reported net worth of $2.9billion, is the founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors and already has the Jayhawks’ football stadium named after him.
The Jayhawks athletics department plans use use $75millon of the gift to continue renovations of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and construction of the nearby Gateway District, per ESPN.
The other $225million will establish an additional revenue stream for the university.
‘I’d say it’s transformative and a game changer,’ Kansas athletic director Travis Goff told ESPN. ‘This gift makes an immediate impact on our top priority in a profound way, and it also provides us with an incredible revenue stream that gives us a chance to really invest in unique ways in the future of Kansas athletics.’
Current renovations at the stadium, on southwest, west, and north sides of the venue started in 2023 and are slated to be finished by Kansas’ home opener against Fresno State next weekend.
Kansas has received a humungous gift of $300million from wealthy donor David Booth
Booth’s gift will be used for the KU football stadium and for an additional revenue stream
The renovations from Booth’s latest gift will begin after the 2025 Jayhawks’ football season concludes.
From 2009 through 2022, Kansas football did not have one season with a winning record, with 2023′ s 9-4 breakthrough being the catalyst for gridiron upgrades at the school.
Although Kansas reverted to a 5-7 record last year, the financial momentum to have the school compete with the best in college football is now in place.
The gift comes less than a month before Kansas reignites the Border Showdown against its greatest rival, Missouri, with the teams facing for the first time since 2011 next month.
The Tigers have made several improvements to their home football stadium to catch up to Southeastern Conference rivals, and much outpaced Kansas with the updates to the south and north end zones.
The first matchup between the schools will be in Missouri, with 2026’s rematch at Booth Stadium, where plenty of renovations will take place between now and then.
‘One of life’s greatest privileges is being able to give back to the people and places that gave so much to you,’ Booth said in a school statement. “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.’
