Nike cofounder Phil Knight's $2 billion pledge for cancer research was the largest donation of 2025
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Nike cofounder Phil Knight's record $2 billion cancer pledge topped a year of blockbuster gifts from America's biggest philanthropists, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Christian Petersen/Staff/Getty Images 2025-12-17T11:43:09.868Z Share Facebook Email X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky WhatsApp Copy link lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.
Impact Link Save Saved Read in app Add us on This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. Nike cofounder Phil Knight made the biggest publicly recorded charitable donation of 2025. Knight and his wife, Penny, pledged $2 billion to cancer research.
Billionaire Warren Buffett was also a top donor, giving over $1.3 billion. Nike cofounder Phil Knight topped the list of the biggest charitable donors this year. The billionaire and his wife, Penny, pledged $2 billion to Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to support the Knight Cancer Institute — more than double the size of the second-largest donation.That's according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, which released its annual list of the largest publicly announced gifts this week. Knight, whose net worth sits at $31.2 billion, per Bloomberg Billionaires Index, has a decadeslong philanthropic relationship with OHSU.The Knight Cancer Institute was named in honor of Phil and Penny Knight after they donated $100 million to the institute in 2008. They have since donated millions more. Every time Thibault publishes a story, you’ll get an alert straight to your inbox! Stay connected to Thibault and get more of their work as it publishes. Sign up By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. "Wealthy donors often give their largest donations to nonprofits with which they've built long-term relationships, and this gift is a good example of that," Maria Di Mento, a senior editor at the Chronicle of Philanthropy, told Business Insider.Warren Buffett dominated the list with four megagifts, donating more than $1.3 billion across the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the NoVo Foundation, and the Sherwood Foundation. At 95, Buffett remains one of the world's leading philanthropists. Despite ranking among the wealthiest people on the planet with a net worth of about $150 billion, he is famous for his frugal lifestyle, from living in the same Omaha home he bought in the 1950s to eating McDonald's breakfasts and driving a modest car.Jackie and Mike Bezos — Jeff Bezos's mother, who died in August, and stepfather — also ranked among the year's biggest donors with a $500 million gift to UNICEF USA for its Child Nutrition Fund. They aren't new to large-scale philanthropy — in 2022, the couple committed $710.5 million to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle to boost cancer research and care.The Chronicle of Philanthropy tracks only publicly announced gifts to nonprofit organizations, excluding anonymous or unconfirmed contributions.