Billionaire David Duffield is the cofounder and CEO emeritus of Workday, a leading cloud-based software platform used in financial and human resource management. He is also known for cofounding another enterprise software company, PeopleSoft, which was sold to Oracle for $10.7 billion in 2025.
According to Forbes, Duffield’s current net worth is around $8.7 billion. A major donor with a penchant for some very big higher ed commitments, Duffield’s giving centers three major areas of focus: companion animals, veterans, and his alma mater, Cornell University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA.
Along with his wife, Cheryl, Duffield has two main philanthropic vehicles: the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation (DCDF) and Maddie’s Fund. The latter has a heartwarming backstory: In 1994, the Duffields established The Duffield Family Foundation in honor of their beloved dog, a miniature Schnauzer named Maddie. While playing with Maddie one evening, the Duffields promised their dog they would help companion animals and their humans so they, too, could experience the happiness Maddie had brought them. The foundation’s sole focus was on “revolutionizing the status and wellbeing of companion animals.” It was renamed Maddie’s Fund in 1999.
DCDF, meanwhile, was founded in 2016 in Incline Village, Nevada, and serves as a vehicle to fund “transformational services and programs,” including access to veterinary care, support for disabled veterans, and other projects close to the Duffields.
“Dave and Cheryl have approached giving with the same discipline and long‑term thinking that defined Dave’s career in the enterprise software business,” said Chris Watts, co‑president of the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation. “Their giving is deeply personal and focuses on trusted partners, clear outcomes, and investments that can deliver lasting impact for targeted communities.”
According to DCDF, the Duffields have donated more than $1.2 billion to date and plan to give more.
How the Duffields support animal companions and veterans with disabilities
The heart of the Duffields’ giving has always been animal companions. Maddie’s Fund supports animal research, access to care, leadership development, shelter medicine education, establishing foster care as a standard across the U.S., and collaborations across the companion animal care industry. To date, Maddie’s Fund has awarded more than $301 million. During the 2024-2025 fiscal year alone, Maddie’s Fund distributed about $13.8 million.
Maddie’s Fund has several national partnerships, including with AlignCare, Animal Grantmakers, Best Friend Animal Society, Better Together Animal Alliance, Humane Word for Animals and Pets and People Together. Maddie’s Fund also hosts weekly community conversations on Zoom, and each month, it gives away up to $10,000 in grants during the calls.
DCDF makes grants to support animal companions, focusing largely on expanding access to care for pets in rural and underserved communities. For instance, one of DCDF’s grantees is the national nonprofit Feeding Pets of the Homeless.
Recent DCDF grantees include Rural Humane Group, Dogtree Pines Senior Dog Sanctuary, Maui Humane Society, Alaqua Animal Refugee, Runaways Animal Rescue, Amor Peludo, and Community Cat Coalition of Clark County. The foundation has also partnered with the BISSELL Pet Foundation on initiatives like Duffield Pet Wellness Days, which brings preventative veterinary care to the pets who need it the most, including those in shelters, and the Fix the Future, a spay/neuter program.
The Duffields also support U.S. military veterans with disabilities, largely through programs that pair veterans with animal companions. Canines With a Cause, for example, pairs rescue dogs with veterans who’ve experienced PTSD, traumatic brain injury or military sexual trauma. The program offers complementary training classes so veterans can train their own psychiatric service dogs.
DCDF’s flagship initiative is Liberty Dogs, a national service dog training and placement program for U.S. veterans with PTSD. Veterans will spend two weeks living and training with their service dog on the program campus. It will be based in Reno, Nevada, and is scheduled to open this summer.
Mega-gifts for Cornell University
Another major component of David Duffield’s giving is his support for his alma mater. Duffield pledged $371.5 million early this year to Cornell University’s engineering college, which has now been renamed the Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering. According to Cornell, it is the single largest gift in the university’s history. Of this, $250 million will establish an endowment to support the college, the Duffield Legacy Fund, and $50 million will fund “key priorities related to educational excellence,” according to Cornell.
The funding will also back the Duffield Launch Fund, which will help update the college’s physical infrastructure, strengthen its research facilities, support faculty and students, and advance science, health and AI research. Last year, Duffield pledged $100 million to expand Duffield Hall, a nanotech research and education building originally built in 2004 thanks to a $20 million gift from Duffield.
The Duffields’ animal philanthropy also extends to Cornell: In 2022, DCDF awarded $12.1 million to Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine to launch the Duffield Institute for Animal Behavior. According to Cornell, in addition to establishing the institution, the grant has also supported faculty leadership, research, clinical practice, and a new residency program for veterinary trainees.
In total, Duffield has donated $550 million to Cornell, making him one of the university’s biggest supporters.
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Other giving centers Nevada and New Jersey
The Duffields also support local public service institutions, first responders and schools. David Duffield, who was raised in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, has awarded large sums to the elementary and high schools he attended, including a $10 million donation for the construction of a new gym and wellness center at the Ho-Ho-Kus public school. He has also awarded major gifts to the schools his children attended.
Many, though not all, of DCDF’s grantees in this space are located in Nevada, where the couple resides. Recipients include Lake Tahoe School, Monte Vista High School, Washoe County School District’s Incline High School, the Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe, Incline Tahoe Foundation, Incline Village Community Hospital, and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.
In 2025, the Duffields donated $2.5 million to the Army and Navy Academy to support the preservation and enhancement of the Duffield Sports Complex, which was originally dedicated in 2013. DCDF also awarded $100,000 to the Nevada Military Support Alliance.
Other gifts include $250,000 to the Renown Health Foundation for the da Vinci Surgical System, which allows surgeons to perform robot-assisted surgery, and $2 million to the American Red Cross for disaster relief after the Utah and Nevada wildfires in 2022.
On the political side, Duffield isn’t a standout donor compared to many other billionaires, but he has supported some Republican candidates in a sizable way. In 2020, he donated $2 million, with $1.15 million going to the Trump Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee for Trump’s 2020 campaign and the RNC.
In 2023, Duffield donated $2 million to Duty First Nevada PAC, which supported Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown. Brown lost his race but currently serves as Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs. Duffield has also donated modest amounts to other candidates in recent years, including U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, Gov. Joe Lombardo, and Washoe County Commissioner Marsha Lee Berkbigler.
