Phil, Penny Knight’s charitable contributions through 2024 land them on top donor list

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The co-founder of an Oregon sportswear giant and his wife have once again been named among the nation’s top donors, but the couple has dropped several spots since the last ranking.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy uncovered its 25th annual report of the 50 most generous donors in the U.S. Phil Knight, former CEO and current chairman emeritus of Nike, nabbed the 10th spot alongside his wife Penny Knight.

According to the philanthropy magazine, the Hillsboro-based couple gifted around $370.4 million to different causes throughout 2024.

The biggest share of donations, about $170.5 million, went toward the Knight Foundation. Most of the remaining dollars went to the Knight Family Charitable Fund and the Travis Knight Family Charitable Fund.

“In addition, the Knights gave several direct personal gifts, including $35.5 million to back construction projects and campus renovations at the University of Oregon; $2.5 million to TrackTown USA, a Eugene, Ore. nonprofit that organizes track and field events and operates youth-fitness and other programs; and $1.4 million in small gifts to a range of other charitable causes,” the Chronicle of Philanthropy said.

The report also noted the grants for “scientific research and business programs” at the University of Oregon and Stanford University, where Phil earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, respectively.

His donations to programs like the 1803 Fund and Albina Head Start – both of which support North Portland’s Black community – were highlighted as well. The Nike co-founder’s $400 million gift to these causes in 2023 landed him the third spot in the last ranking.

This year, businessman Michael Bloomberg topped the list with an estimated $3.7 billion in donations. The former New York mayor’s biggest gift benefitted his former university, Johns Hopkins.

Other top donors were Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings and his wife Patty Quillin, Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell and his wife Susan, as well as Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Edward Buffett.