The University of Kansas has announced a transformational, record-setting gift of roughly $300 million from alumnus and investing pioneer David G. Booth. Timed just ahead of the Jayhawks’ Aug. 23 football opener, the donation is among the largest single contributions in college athletics and the largest in KU history. Booth’s commitment immediately advances Phase II of the KU Gateway District—the mixed-use neighbourhood encircling David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium—and establishes a durable revenue stream to keep Kansas Athletics competitive long-term. The gift builds on decades of Booth’s philanthropy to KU and cements the Gateway project as a civic, athletic, and economic catalyst for Lawrence.
David G. Booth net worth: KU alumnus behind historic $300 million gift to University of Kansas
Booth, a Lawrence High and KU graduate, co-founded Dimensional Fund Advisors in 1981 and is widely credited with bringing financial-science methods to everyday investing. As of June 30, 2025, Dimensional managed $853 billion in assets, underscoring Booth’s stature in global finance.His KU ties are deep: beyond this new gift, Booth has supported the university across athletics and academics for decades including the donation of James Naismith’s original rules of basketball and a foundational football-stadium gift that led to the facility bearing his name. David G. Booth, with an estimated net worth of $5 billion as reported by Celebrity Net Worth, has been a major benefactor of the University of Kansas. In 2004, he donated $9 million to the Booth Family Hall of Athletics. Married to Suzanne Deal with two children, the couple famously purchased James Naismith’s original 13 basketball rules for $4.3 million and donated them to KU, honoring Naismith’s legacy as the university’s basketball founder and nine-season head coach.
Booth’s $75 million gift boosts Kansas athletics and Gateway District Phase II
Booth’s commitment does two things:$75 million is designated to jump-start Gateway District Phase II and continue stadium work.The remainder is structured to generate an ongoing income stream that will fund Kansas Athletics “across generations,” providing flexibility in an era of revenue sharing and rapid change in the college landscape as reported by University of KansasKansas AD Travis Goff called the gift “transformative” for accelerating construction and creating new, sustainable revenue.
Gateway District Phase II adds 162-room hotel, student housing, and event plaza
As per the local news reports of Kansas, Phase II extends the mixed-use district on the stadium’s east side and is designed to activate the campus edge year-round—not only on game days. Current city-approved plans include:
- A 162-room hotel connected to the conference center
- 443 beds of student housing
- ~43,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant/office
- ~1,000 parking spaces
- An outdoor event plaza
These elements were green-lit alongside a package of local incentives that capped public bonds and set accountability provisions.
Ku Gateway District Phase I and II: $450M stadium upgrades and east-side expansion
Phase I (southwest, west, and north sides; major football complex upgrades) represents about $450 million in investment and will be complete for the Aug. 23 home opener vs Fresno State.Phase II focuses on the east side of the stadium and the surrounding district components outlined above. While KU has not released a final construction timetable, Booth’s gift allows work to move forward after the 2025 season. On August 12, 2025, the Lawrence City Commission approved a package of financial tools—TIF and STAR bond districts among them—worth about $94.6 million to support Phase II (roughly 27% of that phase’s costs). The development agreement includes:
- A cap on public bonding and evidence-of-completion requirements
- A KU commitment to create an off-campus housing office (within 18 months)
City access to up to $14.5 million in new district tax revenues for local corridor and stormwater improvements
KU Gateway District to boost tourism, downtown growth, and community relations
Commissioners and stakeholders cited the district’s potential to drive tourism, support downtown, and enhance Lawrence’s town-gown relationship.Beyond bricks and mortar, Booth’s design—front-loading construction while endowing a recurring revenue stream—positions KU to remain strategic and innovative amid new financial realities (e.g., revenue sharing, NIL, conference realignment). The approach gives Kansas the capacity to invest in programs sustainably, rather than relying solely on annual fundraising cycles.
Booth’s Long KU legacy: From Naismith’s rules to a reimagined stadium
Booth’s philanthropy spans decades:2004–2011: Support for the Booth Family Hall of Athletics and donation of Naismith’s original rules, now displayed at the DeBruce Center.2017–2018: A $50 million foundational stadium gift and, subsequently, the naming of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.2025: The new ~$300 million commitment to propel Gateway Phase II and secure long-term athletics funding.Also Read | This African country has no mobile internet access; here’s the surprising truth behind its digital blackout
