Renowned philanthropist and businessman T. Denny Sanford passed away July 18, 2026 in his hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He was 90 years old.
Renowned philanthropist and businessman T. Denny Sanford passed away July 18, 2026 in his hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He was 90 years old.
A self-made billionaire, Sanford had spent recent decades diligently spreading that wealth through philanthropy, primarily focusing on education, health services and biomedical research. His motto: “Aspire to inspire before you expire.”
“Denny was larger than life. He loved people, philanthropy, business and golf. He was my supporter and advisor, but more importantly, my confidant and friend. Denny was fascinated by science and education, especially in advancing ideas and efforts that would make lives better, both in terms of health and in well-being,” said David Brenner, CEO and president of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.
“His generosity was manifest, from supporting research and treatment of rare children’s diseases to stem cells to recruiting new generations of bright, young scientists to carry on the work. He loved to hear about how his philanthropic investments have benefited young people.”
Sanford Burnham Prebys was a frequent beneficiary. In 2007, for example, Sanford gave the institute $20 million through Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the U.S. and a longtime beneficiary of Sanford. The gift helped the then-called Burnham Institute to create the Sanford Children’s Health Research Center. A year later, Sanford donated $30 million to create the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, with the Institute as a founding member.
Two years later, Sanford donated $50 million and The Burnham Institute became the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute. In 2023, he gave $70 million to Sanford Burnham Prebys to launch an ambitious plan to recruit up to 20 new scientists.
Sanford has been an honorary trustee at Sanford Burnham Prebys since 2009.
“Long before Denny’s and my names became inextricably linked through the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, we shared a common goal to make an impact in our communities and to serve others,” said Malin Burnham, who has served on its board of directors since 1982. “Denny embodied that purpose throughout his life, generously investing himself and his resources to benefit others, often with truly transformational results.”
“Denny’s commitment to health and medicine was extraordinarily broad and deep,” noted Donald Kearns, MD, chair of the Board of Directors at Sanford Burnham Prebys and president emeritus of Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. Indeed he partnered with and supported specialized pediatric care for local families through the hospital, Sanford Children’s Clinic in Oceanside and the Children’s Primary Care Medical Group.
Sanford fundamentally believed that basic research and the benefits derived were driven and sustained by the people who do it. That was most evident in his philanthropy supporting education and in supporting new generations of scientists, said Brenner.
“Denny was a visionary committed to making a better world. His $70 million gift to recruit new faculty—the young investigators who will be future leaders—was a transformational investment in the continued strength of biomedical research at Sanford Burnham Prebys and across the Torrey Pines Mesa.,” said Brenner.
Sanford was born in Saint Paul, Minn. in 1935 during the Great Depression. His mother died of breast cancer when he was four years old. “She had been in the hospital for about a year before she died, so I have no memory of her at all,” Sanford recalled, but her death would inspire significant, subsequent support of cancer research by her son.
His father passed when he was 20.
“We have a lot of heart disease in my family,” he told the Horatio Alger Association, which honored him in 2016. “My father had several heart attacks throughout my childhood. My older brother had a fatal heart attack at the age of 40. I also had a heart attack at the age of 44, but I have had good health since then. But the loss of my father when I was still so young was a major blow to me.
“He was the most caring person I ever met. He never graduated high school because he had to help support his family. He was very giving, and I think my ideas about philanthropy, which is such an important part of my life today, came from him.”
Sanford did graduate from high school—and the University of Minnesota in 1959. In the following years, Sanford would be a sales representative for industrial cork and building materials. He started a distribution company that he transformed into a manufacturing and research firm.
In 1986, he purchased a small bank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with $80 million in assets, then created a credit card business: United National Corp., with its two subsidiaries, First Premier Bank and Premier Bankcard, soon had a $1 billion portfolio of credit card loans.
The scope of Sanford’s philanthropy is staggering.
He has donated more than $1 billion to Sanford Health, a system of 48 medical centers, 211 clinics and 160 senior living centers in the upper Midwest, California and Florida, including funding to establish the Edith Sanford Breast Center in honor of his mother.
In addition, Sanford has made multi-million dollar gifts to the Sanford Underground Research Facility, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, the Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium and the Children’s Home Society of South Dakota.
A part-time resident of San Diego, Sanford has made similar and substantial gifts to a host of local institutions: UC San Diego, National University, the Salk Institute, San Diego Public Library and the Zoological Society of San Diego.
To date, it’s estimated Sanford’s total philanthropy is approximately $2 billion.
“We are on earth to provide for other people, not just ourselves and our families,” Sanford said before his induction into South Dakota’s Hall of Fame in 2007. “We all have the opportunity to work a little bit harder and help someone else, not just ourselves.”
Remembrances
“One of the greatest gifts of my 20-plus-year friendship with Denny was learning how deeply he cared about helping others. Whether we were talking about life, philanthropy or our Institute, he always brought the conversation back to making a difference. He believed that a truly meaningful life is measured by the impact you have on people’s lives. That philosophy has stayed with me ever since and continues to guide the mission and purpose of our biomedical research.”
Kristiina Vuori, MD, PhD
Professor
Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program
Pauline and Stanley Foster Distinguished Chair
“I’ve always felt Denny was the older, wiser brother I never had. First time I saw his smile and those blue eyes with shirt to match, I knew I was in friendly territory. But friendly was quite an understatement. Right from the beginning, he wanted to know what we at the institute and me personally could do for kids. He was all about kids, especially those who didn’t get all the normal genes like the rest of us. Those blue eyes were quick to glow when meeting some of the kids we’ve worked with, and especially those few we’ve ‘saved.’ Those eyes teared up easily when he met the kids that neither of us could help. But their smiles would coax out a broad grin on that man’s kind and generous face.
“Whenever we had a big meeting inviting families, scientists and physicians, Denny was right there to welcome everyone and let them know how important they were to him. He showed it all the time. The kids and families wrote him thank you notes and, years later, he’d ask me about some of them.
“They asked about him too. Last year I went to a meeting in Sioux Falls and Denny said, ‘Let’s get together.’ I thought he meant a friendly drink. Not Denny. He’s the surprise man, asking me, “What do you need, pal?” I was caught totally off guard, speechless. He quickly added, ‘Not for you, for the kids.’
“He was generous, but you had to pull your own weight. We mostly got there. Just like 20 years before, being around my ‘big brother’ was all I needed. Of course, seeing that blue-eyed smile always charmed me. In May, he came to my birthday party, maybe he knew it would be our last time. I’ll miss those eyes, that man and his advice.”
Hudson Freeze, PhD
Director, Sanford Children’s Research Center
Professor
William W. Ruch Distinguished Endowed Chair
“Denny Sanford’s passing marks the loss of a truly extraordinary philanthropist whose vision, generosity and unwavering belief in the power of people to make a difference will be felt for generations.
“His support was instrumental in bringing Dr. David Brenner to Sanford Burnham Prebys, setting in motion the recruitment of world-class scientists whose discoveries continue to advance human health.
“Beyond our institute, Denny’s commitment to improving lives touched countless organizations and communities through his remarkable philanthropy. His legacy lives on not only in the buildings that bear his name, but in the scientific breakthroughs, healthier lives and brighter futures made possible by his generosity. As we honor his memory, we do so with deep gratitude and a renewed commitment to carry forward the vision he so passionately believed in.”
Lori Moore
Vice Chair, Sanford Burnham Prebys Board of Directors
“Over the fifteen years I have directed the Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics and the Center for Therapeutics Discovery, I have seen what it means for an institution to be shaped by Denny Sanford’s vision.
“Denny did not merely support biomedical research in the abstract: He embraced, and then championed, the harder and less certain part of our mission — the part that moves beyond understanding the molecular basis of disease into discovering first-in-class drugs for the diseases that have proven so stubbornly difficult to treat.
“That expansion of ambition was not the safe path. It was the visionary one, and it took someone who grasped the big picture: that transformational advances in healthcare for all begin with someone willing to fund the decades-long, uncertain crossing from biology to medicine.
“The pipeline of emerging therapeutics we are advancing today — for pain, for addiction, for cancer, for neurodegeneration — exists in large measure because Denny believed that ‘curing incurable diseases’ was a worthy investment, not a naive one. The tribute he would value most is not words, but the work itself — bringing these drugs to the patients who need them. That is the promise his generosity made possible, and the one we strive to keep.”
Michael Jackson, PhD
Senior Vice President, Drug Discovery and Development
Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics
Director, Center for Therapeutics Discovery
Associate Director, Translational Initiatives
“As a board member of Sanford Burnham Prebys, what I admired most about Denny was that his generosity didn’t just fund buildings or research. It gave big ideas the chance to become breakthroughs and helped transform our institute into a place capable of changing the future.
“As a San Diegan, I believe our fair city is healthier, stronger and more hopeful because he chose to invest here. His vision lives on in the discoveries we make, the patients we help and the lives we improve.
“As a person, Denny made me think bigger about what philanthropy can accomplish, and to believe that each of us can be a part of something greater than ourselves. His legacy will continue to inspire me—and many others—to do the very best we can, just as he did.”
Katherine Chapin
Sanford Burnham Prebys Board of Directors
“Like so many in our Sanford Burnham Prebys family, I am deeply saddened by the passing of Denny Sanford, who was a remarkable philanthropist, visionary and long-time friend. Denny’s unwavering belief in the power of scientific discovery shaped our institute and empowered our scientists to pursue breakthroughs that will bring hope to patients and families for generations to come.
“His legacy extends far beyond his extraordinary philanthropy. He inspired all of us to think bigger, dream bolder and recognize the power of philanthropy to accelerate medical discovery. As we mourn his passing, we also celebrate a life devoted to improving the human condition and making a lasting impact. There is no greater tribute we can offer than to carry his vision forward by cultivating a community of philanthropists who share his passion for discovery and are committed to ensuring that Sanford Burnham Prebys remains a place where bold science continues to change lives.”
