“Next Level Commitment” — Whopping $401 Million Donation Has MSU Fans Asking: Who Is Greg Williams?

Greg Williams, the CEO and Chairman of Acrisure just announced that he would be donating $401 million to Michigan State University. And the lion's share of that endowment, $390 million to be exact, is directly allocated to the school's athletics programs. Which has college ball fans wondering just who exactly Williams is and what kind of net worth he must have to give away so much cash.

One might assume that such a large donation was probably rooted in Williams's love for his alma mater, and that he was interested in giving back to the school of his youth. However, as the Lansing State Journal highlights, Greg nor his wife Dawn never attended MSU.

However, the couple has cheered for the University's sports teams for years. Furthermore, Williams stated that both he and his wife live in the area, and by virtue of that fact alone, they wanted to be involved with helping their community.

"We live here. We didn't go to school here, but we live here. We have a belief that if you're going to be involved with something, be involved," the Lansing State Journal quoted Williams as saying when speaking about his massive donation.

Of the $390 million given to MSU's athletic program, $290 million of it is going directly to the school's FOR SPARTA: The Capital Initiative for MSU Athletics program. The other $100 million is reserved for Spartan Ventures, which is a nonprofit organization that is in charge of revenue and development of MSU Athletics.

The University is also utilizing the remaining $11 million for additional academic and extracurricular endeavors. Which the Lansing State Journal writes will be used to benefit MSU's Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, along with its Risk Management and Financial Insurance Programs.

The Eli Broad College of Business and the Spartan Marching Band and Pep Bands, and the Sparty Mascot Program will also be given funds from this $11 million allotment as well.

Williams's donation made MSU history, beating its previous top endowment by over 10 times, which was awarded in 2021.

Furthermore, the donation is said to be the largest single donation made to any University's collegiate athletic program.

The businessman's company, Acrisure, reportedly brings in about $5 billion annually. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Acrisure deals with cybersecurity, real estate ventures, mortgages, and payment and payroll processing.

Back in 2013, Acrisure only operated in 3 US states. But as of this writing, its business operations are not only in all 50 states, but 24 countries as well. Some 1,000 acquisitions have helped Acrisure to grow its business model, and this success has culminated in multiple largesses from Greg and Dawn Williams. Previously, the couple has donated $25 million to MSU.

And MSU teams aren't the only sports clubs Greg wants to see succeed. While he's lived in Michigan his whole life, Greg is a staunch Pittsburgh Steelers supporter. He purchased the naming rights of Heinz Field, naming the 6-time Super Bowl winners' home field the Acrisure Stadium. Greg reportedly paid $150 million for the 10-year naming rights.

Like many net worth estimates, the exact amount Williams has to his name is difficult to mark down accurately. Some sources indicate that he must be personally worth at least $1.5 billion if not more. It's not difficult to imagine that Williams is a multi-billionaire, as Reuters confirmed that Acrisure is valued at $32 billion.