$100 Million Donation to the Research of Compassion and Empathy

By Alison Lesley --
29 Jul 2019 --

Denny Sanford made the donation after meeting the Dalai Lama

UC San Diego has received a donation of $100 million from billionaire Denny Sanford.[/tweetit] The donation will be used to study compassion as well as empathy and how physicians can cultivate these qualities.

$100 Million Donation to the Research of Compassion and Empathy[/tweetthis]

This donation is one of the largest donations that has ever been made in the United States. What makes it more interesting is that the area of science that it’s going to haven’t had the tools to explore the matter until recently.

This isn’t the first significant donation that Denny Sanford has made. He had donated $100 million in 2013 to UC San Diego to develop a center where the newest discoveries could be turned into therapies as well as new drugs. He has even donated $100 million to San Diego’s National University System so that civility and thoughtfulness are taught to children. Sanford’s hope for the donation is that it is used to curb bullying, discrimination, and violence.

In total, institutions based in San Diego have received a staggering $459 million from Sanford over 12 years. Sanford has said that he has made plans to give all of his money away before his death. His wealth was estimated to be $2.6 billion by Forbes.

Dr. David Brenner, vice-chancellor of health sciences at UCSD has said that Denny was influenced to donate $100 million after a private meeting with the Dalai Lama. He met the Dalai Lama in 2017 when His Holiness went to UCSD to deliver the commencement address.

Sanford has confirmed that the Dalai Lama influenced him. He released a statement which said he has been inspired by the teachings and the work of the Dalai Lama. Sanford went on to say he has had the privilege of seeing how kindness, grace, and humanity can be used to change the world. He then said that his donation would extend this vision.

Billionaire gives UC San Diego $100 million donation to study empathy and compassion https://t.co/wtBJMXN5va
— Lauren Katzenberg (@Lkatzenberg) July 24, 2019

Sanford has said that humanity’s political systems, as well as religious traditions, haven’t helped humans get rid of terrible unhappiness. He believes that understanding the brain will enable humans to understand compassion as well as empathy and also how to use these qualities well. He then said that they’ve only begun to scratch the surface.

Sanford found great success in the finance and banking industries. These areas are what made him most of his fortune.