That was a massive change for Columbia, as the center for Jewish student life there bears Kraft’s name. He had made a major $15 million gift toward the center, which opened in 2000 as the on-campus home for Columbia/Barnard Hillel. He wasn’t alone: The move came amid a wave of major donors, including billionaire investor Leon Cooperman and Third Point’s Dan Loeb, moving support from Columbia to other causes. Columbia’s response to Kraft’s pulled funding was that they were “grateful” he had donated in the first place, according to Forbes. 

Kraft, who graduated as part of the class of 1963, was a university trustee. He had made several other major gifts to his alma mater, including a $5 million pledge in 2007 to launch the Columbia Campaign for Athletics, $1 million toward the Baker Field dome, and $500,000 to establish a fund supporting student- and university-led dialogue on interfaith and intercultural issues. He also announced in 2024 that he would continue supporting the Kraft Center specifically. 

Kraft, 85, has the means to give at that scale several times over, since his net worth is estimated at roughly $13.8 billion. He built that wealth long before he entered professional sports. After graduating from Columbia and earning an MBA from Harvard Business School, he took control of his father-in-law’s Worcester, Mass.-based packaging company, Rand-Whitney Group, through a 1968 leveraged buyout. He then founded the paper-commodities trader International Forest Products in 1972. Those became pillars of his diversified holding company, The Kraft Group, where he serves as CEO. He bought the New England Patriots in 1994 for $172 million. The franchise has won six Super Bowls under his ownership and is worth roughly $12.25 billion.

As a devout Jewish person and philanthropist, his giving didn’t stop with Columbia. Waltham, Mass.-based Brandeis University announced Wednesday that Kraft had donated $10 million to establish a center “that will help prepare the next generation of Jewish leaders.” The space will be named the Robert K. Kraft Family Center for Jewish Life and Leadership.

The gift is especially meaningful because Kraft’s late wife, Myra, earned her degree in history from Brandeis in 1964 and later became a trustee and vice chair of the board. She died in July 2011 at age 68 after battling cancer, and Kraft has noted that his donations to Brandeis are in honor of her. Brandeis also has a program named in honor of Myra called the Myra Kraft Transitional Year Program, which prepares students from underserved communities for academic success in their first year of college. 

Robert and Myra’s son, Josh Kraft, also serves as a Brandeis trustee. Robert said at a Brandeis-hosted event his wife would be proud of the program named in her honor: “I see my sweetheart smiling down,” according to Brandeis. 

“The Kraft family has always been proud to support Brandeis,” Robert said in a statement published Wednesday. “I am pleased to strengthen the work of the university and create a Hillel on campus to help educate and inspire students to carry forward the university’s mission.”

The Kraft family’s philanthropy at Brandeis also established the Myra and Robert Kraft Chair in Arab Politics, the Robert and Myra Kraft Professorship in Christian Studies, the Myra Kraft Achievers Program Scholarship Endowment, and the Myra ’64 and Robert Kraft Endowed Scholarship.

The 28,000-square-foot new center will feature meeting spaces, a house of study, and flexible event spaces for conferences and other meetings. It’s expected to open in spring 2028 and will be open to all students.