Skip to main content
Stanford
Giving
Cherry blossoms

Bequest provides more than $100 million for the School of Humanities and Sciences

Gift from Joan Lewis Danforth, ’53, is one of Stanford’s largest-ever bequests

Stanford has received more than $100 million from the estate of Joan Lewis Danforth, an alumna and longtime San Francisco resident who died in June 2023 at the age of 90. These funds will provide a crucial source of support for doctoral candidates in the School of Humanities and Sciences.

Joan Lewis Danforth, ’53, has given one of Stanford’s largest-ever bequests.

Danforth came to Stanford as a transfer student, graduating in 1953 with her AB in sociology. After graduating, she had a successful career in investment services and stayed active in philanthropy and volunteerism. She was a member of the Hoover Institution Board of Overseers from 2006 to 2012 and supported the Hoover Institution, undergraduate students, and Stanford Athletics as a lifelong donor. About 20 years ago, she informed the university that she had included Stanford in her will—but the size of her estate gift was entirely unexpected.

The endowed fund created by her estate will benefit dozens of PhD candidates every year in perpetuity; these students will be known as the Joan Danforth Scholars. Danforth’s gift also created the Joan Danforth Professorship, which will support a faculty member in art history, creative writing, or history.

In an obituary, the family noted Danforth’s dedication to education, philanthropy, and community services, citing her various volunteer roles for the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, San Francisco Performances, Big Sisters, Inc., and New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital. They also said she was a world traveler who enjoyed learning about international cultures.

Danforth is survived by her three step-children, three step-grandchildren, and one step-great-granddaughter.