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    Phil and Penny Knight

    Nike co-founder and philanthropists

    Lead donor, University of Oregon

    Giving tracked
    $1 billion
    Gifts
    1

    Background

    Phil and Penny Knight are American philanthropists; Phil Knight is the co-founder and chairman emeritus of Nike, and with his wife Penny has committed more than $2 billion to the University of Oregon.

    In 2026 the couple pledged $1 billion to the University of Oregon to establish a college of engineering.

    About University of Oregon

    University of Oregon: University of Oregon is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. In September 2026 it received a $1 billion commitment from Phil and Penny Knight to establish a college of engineering, described as the largest gift ever given to a comprehensive public university.

    Donations by Phil and Penny Knight

    RecipientAmount
    University of OregonRead the story$1 billion

    Key facts

    Co-founder of Nike
    net worth estimated at $35.4 billion as of October 2025source
    2026 gift to University of Oregon
    $1 billion to establish a college of engineeringsource
    Earlier gifts to the Knight Campus
    $500 million in 2016 and $500 million in 2021source

    WYDE coverage of Phil and Penny Knight

    WYDE Newsroom has published 3 articles about Phil and Penny Knight, from Sep 23, 2026 to Sep 30, 2026. Phil and Penny Knight is a donor in 2 stories and the subject of 1 story. The most recent is Ken Griffin Gives Carnegie Mellon a Record $3 Billion, the Largest US University Gift.

    Philanthropy

    Ken Griffin Gives Carnegie Mellon a Record $3 Billion, the Largest US University Gift

    Citadel founder Ken Griffin's $3 billion Carnegie Mellon donation, the largest higher education gift in US history, funds a new Miami campus and computer science in Pittsburgh.

    Sep 30, 2026 · 2 min read · Donor

    WYDE Weekly

    States Just Took On SNAP's Bill, Fraud Topped $900 Million in a Week, and Philanthropy Wrote $1.2 Billion in Checks. Over 71,800 Meals.

    WYDE Weekly: the SNAP cost shift hits states October 1, Fast Lab's $500 million COVID fraud plea, Bitget's $387.5 million hack, the Fed's first stablecoin rules, and Phil and Penny Knight's $1 billion gift to Oregon.

    Sep 26, 2026 · 7 min read · Donor

    Philanthropy

    Phil and Penny Knight Commit $1 Billion to Create an Engineering College at the University of Oregon

    The Nike co-founder's $1 billion gift, the largest ever to a comprehensive public university, will launch the Knight College of Engineering in Eugene, a week after the Knights pledged $1.1 billion to Providence.

    Sep 23, 2026 · 2 min read · Subject of the story

    Reported alongside Phil and Penny Knight

    Sources

    Follow the money in philanthropy.

    Who gives, who receives, and what it funds. Every week.