The foundation of mega-philanthropist Charles Feeney ’56 was responsible for the $350 million donation that helped propel Cornell to the top of the tech campus competition, according to a statement Cornell will release Tuesday.

The donation is the largest in the University’s history and one of the largest in the history of higher education. It was announced by Cornell on Friday, hours after Stanford University, widely perceived as the University’s main competition for the campus, unexpectedly withdrew its proposal.

In the statement, President David Skorton and Cornell praised the importance of the gift to the tech campus project.

“The Atlantic Philanthropies' generous $350 million educational gift will not only anchor the academic mission Cornell and its partner, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, are undertaking in the city, but it will also prove to be a key milestone in the economic future for all New Yorkers," the release states.

The charity, Atlantic Philanthropies, has already donated a total of $600 million to Cornell, gifts that helped found the West Campus Initiative and Cornell Tradition.

“This is a once in a generation opportunity for Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, together with the City of New York, to create economic and educational opportunity on a  transformational scale,” Feeney said in a statement released on the foundation's website Monday night. 

Feeney made his fortune as the co-founder of Duty Free Shoppers Group, the largest travel retailer in world. He is noted as a philanthropist for his relative modesty and humble lifestyle, according to The New York Times, which first revealed the identity of the donor.

In addition to the Cornell Tradition and the West Campus Initiative, Feeney helped fund the Presidential Research Scholars Program and the Meinig Family Cornell National Scholars.

While at Cornell, Feeney was elected to the “Ye Hosts” of the Hotel Administration Honorary and played for the 150-pound football team, according to The Sun’s archives.