The Tale of Two Billionaires
Last week, Illinois’ most famous out-migrant and most generous philanthropist, Ken Griffin, pledged $3 billion to Carnegie Mellon University, with $2 billion alone going toward a Miami campus—the largest gift to a university in history.
Griffin has already donated $400 million to organizations in his new home state of Florida.
Gov. JB Pritzker and other Democrats publicly mocked Griffin and celebrated when he and more than 1,000 of his well-paid employees left Illinois, taking with him the $200 million in annual state income taxes he pays, not counting those paid by his well-compensated employees.
Griffin’s sin? Trying to help keep Illinois a two-party state by countering Pritzker’s massive political spending. The absence of checks and balances has allowed Pritzker to raise taxes and fees 63 times, taking another $87 billion out of the pockets of Illinois residents and businesses.
Billionaire Pritzker, by the way, apparently paid only $869,000 in taxes in 2024, while the family trust paid $4.5 million.
Griffin took his charity with him, too, after providing a record $650 million to Chicago-area institutions, including awarding $130 million after he had already made his decision to leave—dwarfing Pritzker’s giving.
Meanwhile, the Pritzker family has generously benefited from a charitable government through various commercial property tax reductions, publicly backed venue funding, and legacy tax structures.
Unlike Griffin, who spends many times more on charity than on politics, Pritzker’s preferred charity is himself, having spent $439 million to be elected governor, millions more on Democratic candidates in Illinois and nationwide, and $30 million in the last election to help secure a Republican nominee who would be easier for him to beat.