$300 million Sanford gift ranks as fifth biggest charitable donation of the year in America. Rapid City about to see the Sanford Effect that Sioux Falls saw in 2007!
(South Dakota Searchlight)-A $300 million gift from South Dakota philanthropist Denny Sanford to Sanford Health to support the construction of a new medical center in Rapid City was the fifth largest charitable donation in the country this year, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
The publication revealed its list of the biggest charitable contributions of 2025 on Tuesday.
The annual rankings are based on the biggest publicly announced gifts. The tally does not include contributions of artwork, gifts from anonymous donors, or donations that cannot be confirmed as going to a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
The biggest gifts on this year’s list:
$2 billion, Phil Knight, co-founder of athletic wear company Nike, and his wife, Penny, to the Oregon Health & Science University for the Knight Cancer Institute.
$746.7 million, Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, a holding company, to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation.
$500 million, Jackie and Mike Bezos, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s mother and stepfather, to Unicef USA for the Child Nutrition Fund.
$301 million*, Greg Williams, co-founder of Acrisure, a financial technology company, and his wife, Dawn, to Michigan State University primarily for athletics.
$300 million, Denny Sanford, founder of First Premier Bank and chairman of United National Corporation, to Sanford Health primarily for the Sanford Black Hills Medical Center.
$300 million, David Booth, co-founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors, an investment firm, to the University of Kansas Athletics for the David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
$202.9 million, Michael Moritz, a partner at Sequoia Capital, and his wife, Harriet Heyman, a sculptor, through their Crankstart Foundation, to the American Friends of the National Gallery London for museum expansion.
$199.1 million, Warren Buffett, to the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.
$199.1 million, Warren Buffett, to the NoVo Foundation.
$199.1 million, Warren Buffett, to the Sherwood Foundation.
