Citadel founder and CEO Kenneth C. Griffin has made a transformational gift of $20 million to increase access and opportunity for MDC students. Griffin’s gift is the largest single philanthropic gift in MDC history.
The gift will be used to establish the Griffin Scholarship Fund, which will provide access to a high-quality college education for all qualifying students graduating from high school in Miami-Dade County.
Through the Griffin Scholarship Fund, students will receive the resources they need to earn a college degree, such as tuition assistance, books, tutors and career coaches. It will also facilitate study abroad opportunities, emergency funds and additional wraparound services, including help transferring to top universities upon the completion of an associate degree.
Since its inception in 1960, MDC has functioned as South Florida’s talent and workforce generator. Ninety-one percent of the College’s unique student body are students who identify as Hispanic or Black non-Hispanic, with 63 different languages spoken. Half of MDC students are the first in their families to go to college and more than half are from low-income households. When it comes to promoting students’ economic mobility, MDC ranks first out of 28 Florida public colleges.
MDC is the largest and most diverse college in the nation, conferring more associate degrees than any other and ranking No. 1 in terms of associate degrees conferred to Hispanics and number of students earning industry certifications.
Griffin is among the country’s leading philanthropists. He has long been committed to expanding opportunity and creating strong, vibrant communities, particularly through his work to unlock the power of a high-quality education for more students and to bridge the digital divide. He has supported work to scale high-impact tutoring programs and has funded transformative scholarships that have supported thousands of low-income and first-generation college students. In 2020, as schools closed their doors, Griffin helped convene public and private partners to provide free high-speed broadband access to over 400,000 low-income students across Chicago and Miami, and supported national initiatives aimed at closing the internet affordability gap for more than 18 million households across America. Through his continued philanthropy, Griffin is focused on achieving tangible progress towards enabling all students to achieve their potential and equipping our next generation of leaders with the tools needed to succeed.