donor

Larry Gies

Founder and CEO of Madison Industries and namesake of Gies College of Business

Namesake and donor, Gies College of Business

Giving tracked

$100 million

Gifts

Background

Larry Gies is the founder and CEO of Madison Industries and a 1988 accountancy graduate.

He announced a $100 million matching pledge for Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois on October 20, 2026.

About Gies College of Business

Gies College of Business: Gies College of Business is a university business school that is named for Larry Gies and is part of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Donations by Larry Gies

Recipient	Amount	Announced	Purpose
Gies College of Business Read the story	$100 million	Oct 20, 2026	Matching pledge to match the next $100 million in qualifying donations to Gies College of Business, potentially generating $200 million

Key facts

Title: Founder and CEO of Madison Industriessource
Education: 1988 accountancy graduatesource
Lifetime giving to the University of Illinois: $350 million, including the new $100 million pledgesource
Forbes 2026 list of the 400 richest people in the United States: No. 315, as reported by The News-Gazettesource

WYDE coverage of Larry Gies

WYDE Newsroom has published one article about Larry Gies, on Oct 24, 2026. Larry Gies is a donor in 1 story. The most recent is Larry Gies pledged $100 million in matching funds to Gies College of Business.

Philanthropy

Larry Gies pledged $100 million in matching funds to Gies College of Business

Larry Gies, a 1988 accountancy graduate, pledged to match the next $100 million in qualifying donations to the business school that carries his name.

Oct 24, 2026 · 4 min read · Donor

Reported alongside Larry Gies

Gies College of Business · in 1 story with Larry Gies
University of Illinois · in 1 story with Larry Gies
University of Illinois Foundation · in 1 story with Larry Gies

Sources

Follow the money in philanthropy.

Who gives, who receives, and what it funds. Every Friday.