Nike founder Knight Donates $2 billion to Oregon Cancer Center

Nike founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, are giving $2 billion to a cancer institute at University of Oregon that bears their name, the largest ever donation to a US college or academic health institution, according to a statement.

The Knights said the donation to the Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Center will fund work that has “transformational potential” for cancer research and treatment.

Phil Knight, who graduated from the University of Oregon and has long funnelled money to the school, has a net worth of more than $36 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The Knights helped establish the cancer institute with a $500 million pledge in 2013.