In his greatest gift to New England since his Atlanta Falcons blew a 28-3 lead to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI, Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank has bestowed $50M on alma mater Babson College in Wellesley.
Blank’s foundation will fund the establishment of a school within Babson for entrepreneurial leadership focused on ventures that do good for the world. This is the biggest individual gift the foundation has granted, and the biggest Babson has received.
Babson, which costs more than $70K to attend, is rolling in money these days, with an endowment well over $400 million. It has been piling up giant donations and building modern facilities, such as the Weissman Foundry and new recreation complex.
The vision for how the Blank funding will be spent includes allowing for more need-based scholarships, supporting research, and creating an entrepreneurial village designed to foster collaboration on campus.
Establishing a center for local and business journalism would be another brilliant idea.
