MSU Announces Historic Donation from Acrisure CEO Greg Williams
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EAST LANSING, Mich. --- This week has been nothing but big news for Michigan State athletics' future. That continued on Friday morning, as the school announced on the floor of the Breslin Center that it would be receiving a $401 million donation.
The commitment comes from Greg and Dawn Williams. Greg is the CEO of Grand Rapids-based insurance company Acrisure. It's the largest financial commitment in MSU history, one of the largest in the history of collegiate athletics, and a big victory for Michigan State president Kevin Guskiewicz and athletic director J Batt, both of whom are in the earlier stages of their tenures at the school.
Greg Williams attended new head football coach Pat Fitzgerald's introductory press conference on Tuesday, and he was among the first to shake Fitzgerald's hand after he walked out. A photo posted by MSU football earlier that day, from Fitzgerald's arrival at Lansing's airport, also showed him appearing to greet Williams, though his face was not visible.
"The commitment that Greg and Dawn are making represents an extraordinary act of generosity and belief in Michigan State University’s future,” Guskiewicz said in a press release. “We are deeply grateful for this historic commitment, which will strengthen our academic mission and support our student-athletes in meaningful, lasting ways."
More Details on the Donation
The overarching donation is split up into three ways, with the vast majority of the money going directly to Michigan State's athletic department. The bulk of the money, $290 million, will go into the Spartans' recently announced "For Sparta" campaign. When MSU unveiled the plan on Tuesday, the school claimed it had already raised $250 million for it. The Williamses' donation, therefore, puts the new total at $540 million, putting Michigan State more than halfway to their overall goal of $1 billion.
Most of the rest will go to "Spartan Ventures," a soon-to-come commercial arm of the athletic department that was announced in late October and is expected to officially launch in the summer of 2026. The donation there totals $100 million.
To round it out, $11 million will go to other academic programs and other extracurricular activities with sports ties, including the MSU Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Risk Management and Financial Insurance Program in the Eli Broad College of Business, the Spartan Marching Band and Pep Bands, and the Sparty Mascot Program.
“Words cannot express my gratitude for Dawn and Greg,” said MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo in a press release. “They are truly difference makers whose support will benefit Spartans competing at elite levels for years and years to come. I talk to my players all the time about leaving their mark in history. With their commitment, Dawn and Greg are leaving a legacy that is truly unmatched."
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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