<story><title>MIT Gets $140M Pledge from Anonymous Donor</title><url>https://www.wsj.com/articles/mit-gets-140-million-pledge-from-anonymous-donor-1496866275</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>finolex1</author><text>It would be interesting to compare the utility of one large $100 million+ grant to an institution like MIT, Yale or Harvard that is already well-endowed, compared to a hundred different million dollar grants to institutions across the USA or the world, where the money might arguably be more effectively used or sorely needed.&lt;p&gt;The counterpoint would be that the money could support fundamental research that eventually results in a much larger payoff to the world at large, but I&amp;#x27;m not convinced that this outweighs the benefits of funding hundreds, or even thousands of students&amp;#x2F;scientists in less prominent schools who might go on to make such discoveries themselves.&lt;p&gt;Of course, all this assumes that donor&amp;#x27;s primary aim is to make the largest possible impact, when in all likelihood it&amp;#x27;s motivated more by an affinity for the school, or in the case of other donors, prestige from having their name on the walls.</text></comment>
<story><title>MIT Gets $140M Pledge from Anonymous Donor</title><url>https://www.wsj.com/articles/mit-gets-140-million-pledge-from-anonymous-donor-1496866275</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>seibelj</author><text>Hey! Ya know what HN? It&amp;#x27;s fucking awesome that $140m was given to one of the finest institutions in the entire world, rather than pissed away like so many other fortunes. I&amp;#x27;m sorry it didn&amp;#x27;t fit [insert pet issue that needs money]. More rich people should do this! And anonymously donated too! Feels good</text></comment>