Record £190 million gift by hedge fund investor Chris Rokos to Cambridge University
Howard Lake | 2 April 2026 | News
Investor and philanthropist Chris Rokos has committed to donate £190 million to the University of Cambridge to establish the Rokos School of Government. The colossal donation is believed to be the largest individual gift made to a British university in the past 600 years.
The new school, set to begin operations in autumn 2026, aims to transform how future leaders are trained to navigate the complex structural changes currently impacting domestic and international politics. It will integrate the University’s established expertise in technology and science with the social sciences, arts, and humanities. The curriculum is specifically designed to focus on the intersections of policy, science, and emerging technologies.
Located in a new building within the Cambridge West Innovation District, the school’s guiding principle is the generation of practical, lasting solutions to 21st-century problems while actively upholding fundamental human rights and freedoms.
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The school will host a cohort of PhD and Masters students and feature a faculty consisting of both academics and experts drawn from the worlds of business and government. International recruitment for a Dean to lead the new institution is scheduled to begin soon.
About Chris Rokos
Chris Rokos, a British investor who founded Rokos Capital Management (RCM), has built a fortune estimated at £2.6 billion by The Sunday Times Rich List. His decision to establish the school stems from his belief that government processes must adapt to new global challenges through radical and innovative thinking.
Rokos said:
“The discussions which led to the creation of the Rokos School of Government began some years ago. It was becoming clear that the world was changing in new and different ways, and that the processes of government needed to adapt accordingly. New challenges and opportunities require new responses.”
Rokos is known for his highly successful career as a star trader. He rose to prominence working at major financial institutions like Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse before co-founding the influential hedge fund Brevan Howard.
In 2015 he launched his own firm, RCM, which has since grown into a global powerhouse, managing assets of over £22 billion. He recently paid himself £477 million, following strong performance of the firm, according to Companies House data featured by the Financial Times.
Rokos is an Oxford University graduate, where he studied maths. He credits his own educational start, including state primary school education followed by a scholarship to Eton, as the foundation for his professional success.
- Cambridge University chooses Camfed as charity of the year (15 January 2009)
Other charitable gifts
A former donor to the Conservative Party he has previously made donations for scholarships at Eton and projects by Pembroke College, Oxford. He is one of the biggest taxpayers in the UK.
He has supported educational initiatives at Cambridge University for some time. At Girton College, he established both the Girton Rokos Internships in STEM subjects and the Girton Rokos Fellowship, also in STEM. In 2026, he donated a further £5 million to Girton in support of the College’s development plans.
At Queens’ College Cambridge Rokos supports the Alexander Crummell PhD Scholarship and the Rokos-Menon Senior Research Fellowship. He also supports the Cambridge University Centre for Climate Repair.
Through his firm, Rokos Capital Management, he supports secondary education initiatives focused on academic excellence and inclusion, including the Amos Bursary, The London Academy of Excellence Tottenham, and King’s College London Maths School.
Rokos also supports numerous organisations seeking to guarantee basic human rights and needs, and those which tackle the challenge of refugees, including Amnesty International and UNHCR.
As his major donation would suggest, Rokos has a long and keen interest in the development of policy and in governance. He provides financial support to Chatham House, the Royal United Services Institute and Policy Exchange. He also supports the Global Leadership Foundation.
Focus on intellectual diversity and public service
When discussing the new School of Government, Rokos emphasised the need for true intellectual diversity, stating that the institution must include viewpoints beyond just centrist perspectives to be successful. This philosophy aligns with his aim to inspire innovative thinking in leadership.
To manage the financial commitment and guide the school’s future, a trust will be formed, including appointees from both the University and the founder.
Despite his immense wealth and the high-profile nature of this donation, the 55-year-old investor has tended to avoid the public limelight. However, details of his private life occasionally surface, providing a glimpse into the scale of his success. For instance, he is known for the extensive £175 million renovation of the 200-room Tottenham House mansion in Wiltshire, and his spending habits were made public during a high-profile divorce battle. Furthermore, his business environment recently drew attention when RCM ended advisory talks with politician Peter Mandelson.
Mr Rokos has agreed to make an initial gift of £130 million, plus further gifts of up to £60 million, the subsequent amounts to be matched by Cambridge University. The gifts will be made to Cambridge in America (UK) Ltd in furtherance of its charitable objective of supporting the University of Cambridge.
The charity team at Russell-Cooke LLP advised Cambridge in America (UK) in the matter. Partner Chris Rowse said:
“We are extremely proud to have supported Cambridge in America (UK) on a project of such scale and national importance. Major philanthropic gifts of this kind have the power to strengthen institutions and create long‑term opportunities for future generations. Working alongside the team has been a privilege, and we are delighted to have played our part in helping this historic donation come to fruition.”
The University will also be contributing the undeveloped land in the Cambridge West Innovation District on which the School will be built.
WATCH: The Rokos School of Government: shaping tomorrow’s leaders
Film produced by Jonny Settle
- Cambridge University to launch £2 billion campaign (6 August 2015)
- £100 million donation is Cambridge University’s biggest ever gift (6 February 2019)
- Gates’ scholarship fund to benefit Cambridge University (23 May 2000)
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.