"We are deeply grateful for this historic commitment, which will strengthen our academic mission and support our student-athletes in meaningful, lasting ways," he said. "This moment will have a profound impact on generations of Spartans."

This is the largest single commitment in MSU’s history and one of the biggest individual donations in college athletics. Of the total gift, $290 million will support the FOR SPARTA initiative, $100 million will go to Spartan Ventures (NIL fund) and $11 million will be directed toward university academics.

The gift accelerates MSU’s push to compete nationally and positions the university for sustained long-term success. It also signals a clear message across college athletics: Michigan State now has the resources and ambition to operate at the sport’s highest level.

Another $100 million will be directed to a new entity created by Spartan Ventures, the revenue, innovation and development arm of MSU Athletics. The investment is intended to strengthen partnerships, build new revenue streams and modernize how the university supports its athletic programs amid a rapidly shifting college sports landscape.

"In today’s evolving college athletics landscape, this is a monumental day," said MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics J Batt. "Greg and Dawn’s commitment will provide the resources required for new levels of competitive excellence and student-athlete opportunities."

In addition to the massive donations toward athletics, $11 million will directly go to academics and extracurricular initiatives. Which will include the MSU Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Risk Management and Financial Insurance program in the Eli Broad College of Business, the Spartan Marching Band and Pep Bands and the Sparty Mascot Program.

The Williamses, inaugural co-chairs of MSU’s $4 billion "Uncommon Will, Far Better World" campaign, are no strangers to Spartan philanthropy. They have already given more than $25 million to university causes, and their impact extends well beyond campus — including major West Michigan investments such as Acrisure’s support of the Acrisure Amphitheater and multiple health and community initiatives.

MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo praised the couple for their impact.

"They are truly difference makers," Izzo said. "With their commitment, Dawn and Greg are leaving a legacy that is truly unmatched."

Though their gift is funded personally and not through Acrisure, the Williamses’ connection to Michigan State runs deep. Although neither are MSU alumni, Dawn's ties to the university have shaped much of their philanthropic focus, while Greg traces his own bond with the Spartans back to seventh grade, when he saw his first MSU men’s basketball game. Together, the couple has built a long-standing relationship with Spartan Athletics and the broader university community.

“I wish someone else was writing the check, but Dawn and I are writing the check,” Greg Williams said. “Not a single dollar from Acrisure is going into this.”

The investment was for Greg and Dawn Williams, who grew up in Laingsburg, about half an hour northeast of Lansing. Gregg has been a long-time supporter of the Spartans where he recalled attending his first MSU sporting event in seventh grade, which paved the way for his major donation announced today.

A record-breaking and game-changing donation that smashes the previous record of $32 million, given by former MSU basketball player and United Wholesale Mortgage CEO Mat Ishbia. Greg and Dawn Williams have completely changed MSU athletics with their donation, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the university.