Brandeis receives $25M from Karen Richards Sachs, largest alumni gift in school history

Brandeis University has received a $25 million gift from alumna Karen Richards Sachs and her husband, David A. Sachs, a co-founder of Ares Management, an investment firm. The largest donation ever to the university by an alumnus will fund “The Dot,” a new student commons named for Karen Sachs’ mother, Dorothy “Dot” Richards, whose financial circumstances once prevented her from attending Brandeis. The gift also expands the Dorothy Richards Endowed Scholarship, supporting students with financial need. Designed to strengthen student belonging, campus engagement, and affordability, the investment will create new gathering and study spaces while reinforcing Brandeis’ long-standing mission of expanding educational access and opportunity.