Citadel CEO Ken Griffin believes American prosperity is a testament to the power of the Constitution. And as the country gets ready to celebrate its 250th anniversary next year, the hedge fund billionaire wants to expand public access to the 1787 document.
Griffin announced Tuesday that he will lend his first-edition copy of the Constitution to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia for a public exhibit dedicated to the founding document of the U.S. government. He will also loan the center his copy of the Bill of Rights, which he has not previously acknowledged owning publicly, and his nonprofit Griffin Catalyst will make a 15 million donation for the exhibit - the largest in the center's history.
"The authors of the Constitution had incredible foresight in designing a system of government that has withstood the test of time and now, more than ever, protects the American Dream," Griffin said in a statement.
Jeffrey Rosen, CEO of the National Constitution Center, called Griffin's loan of the documents and the donation a "transformative opportunity."
"Ken Griffin's generosity is going to allow us to create a new Founding Principles gallery that will tell the story of the American idea from the revolution through the Constitutional Convention through ratification and all the way up to the adoption of the Bill of Rights," said Rosen, adding that the new exhibit will also mark the center's largest renovation since it opened in 2003.