Denny Sanford dies at 90, leaving $4B philanthropic legacy in San Diego and South Dakota 

Billionaire T. Denny Sanford has died at the age of 90, leaving behind an estimated $4 billion in philanthropic awards including $2 billion to South Dakota’s Sanford Health System and more than $1 billion to institutions across San Diego region including UC San Diego, the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, and the San Diego Zoo. The St. Paul, Minnesota, native became a successful coating and sealants manufacturer before moving into banking and credit cards in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, making him the wealthiest man in the state. His funding supported medical research, higher education, and wildlife conservation including $100 million for compassion and empathy research, $350 million to expand education for working adults, and $70 million to recruit biomedical researchers. Sanford–who had pledged to give away his fortune during his lifetime–was “quietly scrubbed” from the Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge in 2023 following revelations that he had been investigated, but never charged, for possession of child pornography.