20-05-2025
Penny Knight and Phil Knight
Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife Penny regularly appear on lists of the most generous donors in the U.S., with estimated lifetime giving of $3.6 billion —including $370 million in 2024 —most often focused on educational institutions and community initiatives.
Their donations to academia often have a personal connection. The Knights have donated $1 billion to the University of Oregon, Phil's alma mater, for the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, an innovation hub focusing on biomedical and human performance research. Their $75 million gift in 2022 to Stanford University, where Phil got his MBA, set up a brain resilience research initiative, and followed earlier gifts to the school of more than $500 million.
Elsewhere, the Knights in 2023 pledged $400 million to the 1803 Fund, which invests to strengthen the historically Black community in North and Northeast Portland. The nonprofit's initial project centers on Albina, a formerly vibrant business and residential community noted for its music scene that was partially razed to make way for a highway and basketball arena.
'I'm pretty proud of what it's done so far,' Phil, 87, says of the foundation. 'And I'm optimistic about what it will contribute in the future.'
