Larry Gies pledges $100 million to match donations to UI business college
The college says the match could direct $200 million to scholarships, student programs and faculty, and makes him the university's largest benefactor.
CHAMPAIGN - Larry Gies, the founder and CEO of Madison Industries and a 1988 University of Illinois accountancy graduate, has pledged $100 million to match the next $100 million in qualifying donations to the business college that bears his name, the Gies College of Business announced Oct. 20.
If fully matched, the pledge would put $200 million toward scholarships, student learning experiences and faculty support, according to the college. It says the commitment raises his lifetime giving to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to $350 million, making him the largest benefactor in the university's history.
The college describes the gift as believed to be the largest matching gift ever made to a business school. Gies gave $150 million to the college in 2017 and pledged $100 million to Illinois athletics in 2025, according to the announcement.
"Every gift, at every level, can open a door for a student," Gies said in the college's announcement.
Source: Gies College of Business news release, Oct. 20, 2026 (https://giesbusiness.illinois.edu/news/2026/10/20/larry-gies-pledges--100-million-matching-gift-to-gies-college-of-business); University of Illinois Foundation post of the same release (https://uif.uillinois.edu/news/237/larry-gies-pledges-100-million-matching-gift-to-gies-college-of-business).