Jerry Jones Gives $10 Million to Clinton Foundation to Modernize Little Rock Presidential Center

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has donated $10 million to the Clinton Foundation, a gift he announced himself at the Little Rock Touchdown Club in Arkansas and which the foundation confirmed on Monday.

The money will go toward modernizing the Clinton Presidential Center and supporting the Clinton School of Public Service, both located in Little Rock. Jones grew up in nearby North Little Rock, and he framed the donation as a tribute to the place that shaped him rather than to his football empire.

A Gift Rooted in Arkansas, Not Arlington

Jones announced the gift in person and spoke directly to the former president while doing so, saying he hoped the work would help young Arkansans, including student-athletes and students, as reported by KATV ABC 7. The Clinton Foundation said the funds would pay for modernization at the Presidential Center and benefit the School of Public Service.

The focus on education, and the Arkansas audience it serves, sets this donation apart from some of Jones' earlier philanthropy, which was directed toward Dallas and Arlington causes.

Jones made the family connection explicit in his statement.

"Understanding that the state of Arkansas, Little Rock, North Little Rock and the University of Arkansas have all been at the core of our family's experience while providing the landscape and foundation that formed and helped shape our lives and success, this is a remarkably heartfelt moment," Jones said.

He also pointed to the lasting impact he believes the institutions will have.

He cited the "impact and opportunity the Clinton Presidential Center delivers for so many students, including student-athletes, with the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas, creates a powerful and lasting legacy for education and service that we can all be very thankful for and proud of."

A Long Record of Giving

Jones and his wife, Gene, have a lengthy history of charitable support. The Salvation Army, the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, the Hope Lodge in Dallas and the Arlington Youth Foundation are among the organizations they have backed over the years.

What $10 Million Means for a $23.2 Billion Fortune

The scale of the gift reflects Jones' standing in American sport. Forbes puts his net worth at $23.2 billion and ranks him ninth among the richest U.S. sports team owners. The magazine values the Cowboys at $17 billion, the most in the NFL and well clear of the Los Angeles Rams at $13.5 billion in second place.

For perspective, $10 million amounts to roughly 0.04 percent of his reported net worth.

The wealth behind the check began in oil. According to Forbes, Jones built his early success as a wildcatter and earned his first million through oil investments in the 1970s. He continues to invest in drilling, as well as retail and residential real estate projects in and around the Dallas area, meaning his philanthropy is funded by a portfolio that reaches far beyond the NFL.

Read his statement again and one detail stands out: in the lines he delivered, the Cowboys never come up. Jones lists Little Rock, North Little Rock and the University of Arkansas first, then turns to the students. For the owner of the NFL's most valuable team, it is a quiet and deliberate choice.