Florida A&M University Receives Historic $273 Million Donation For An HBCU, Nearly Doubling Its Current Endowment

Florida A&M University received a historic donation during Saturday's commencement exercises. Chief Executive Officer Gregory Gerami of the Issac Batterson 7th Family Trust bestowed a staggering $237 million, marking it as one of the largest single donations ever given to an HBCU institution.  

"To give back to HBCU. At this level, it's important to me," Gregory Geramis said. "To be able to choose for our foundation, to choose a university where our legacy will continue and it will be the most impactful for generations and generations to come. God is the most important thing to our foundation and us."

The donation approximately doubled the size of the Florida A&M Endowment to nearly 400 million. Before today's gift, the endowment was valued at $121 million.  

Florida A&M will use the gift for academics, scholarships, and the athletic department. "We are extremely grateful and ecstatic about this game-changing donation to Florida A&M University," President Dr. Larry Robinson remarked.

"FAMU has become like a family to our trust, our company and to me," Gerami said in a prepared statement.  "Our morals and our mission are in line with FAMU and FAMU's mission.  It's also about making sure that we set FAMU on the path to being the top HBCU in this country."

Gerami founded Batterson Farms Corp. in San Antonio, Texas, with a clear vision of revolutionizing the farming industry through hydroponic farming and hemp bioplastics. The primary goal is to produce fresh, organic products year-round, grown locally by Batterson and farmers who share the same passion for sustainability and innovation.