$120 million new gift caps Lifestyles Magazine/Meaningful Influence cover subjects Joan and Sandy Weill’s $1.5 billion legacy of transformative philanthropy

UC Davis is celebrating a landmark moment thanks to an extraordinary act of generosity from Joan and Sanford “Sandy” Weill, whose lifetime philanthropy now totals about $1.5 billion.

Their new $120 million gift to UC Davis is the largest ever made to veterinary medicine anywhere in the world and one of the largest in the university’s history.

In recognition, the top-ranked veterinary school now carries their names as the UC Davis Joan and Sanford I. Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, signaling a new era for animal health, scientific discovery, and compassionate care.

The Weills’ gift is designed to do far more than write a single chapter in the UC Davis story; it is the cornerstone of an ambitious $750 million expansion of the veterinary medical campus that will shape the future of veterinary care for generations.

At the heart of this vision is a new, state-of-the-art small animal teaching hospital that will expand access to world-class care for pets while giving students and clinicians cutting-edge facilities in which to learn, innovate, and heal.

The gift also fuels a powerful push into comparative medicine, supporting research that links animal and human health and targets conditions such as cancer, neurological disorders, and heart disease across species.

For UC Davis Chancellor Gary May, this is a milestone that affirms the university’s place on the global stage.

He has described the Weills’ commitment as a transformative moment that propels UC Davis “firmly into the future of higher education” and positions the campus as a model for how veterinary medicine, human health, and environmental stewardship can come together.

At a time when public universities face mounting pressures, he sees philanthropy at this level as a direct investment in discoveries that will improve lives around the world.

Dean Mark Stetter of the newly renamed UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine echoes that sense of possibility.

He has called the Weills’ support “extraordinary,” emphasizing that it will allow the school to move faster, think bigger, and meet the most urgent challenges in animal and human health.

With expanded clinical capacity, enhanced training opportunities, and new resources for bold, early-stage research, he believes the gift launches “an exciting new era in veterinary medicine” and will directly translate into better outcomes for animals and the people who love them.

Behind the headlines, this historic gift is also deeply personal.

The Weills’ connection to UC Davis began when their beloved bichon frisé, Angel, was treated at the veterinary school after being diagnosed with lymphoma in 2018.

The care Angel received left a lasting impression on the family, inspiring a relationship with the veterinary team that continued even after Angel passed away. The Weills welcomed another bichon frisé, Sweet Pea.

Joan Weill has often mentioned that she once dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, and this gift beautifully weaves that early aspiration with the couple’s long-standing desire to support institutions that blend science, compassion, and community.

The UC Davis commitment is the latest chapter in a philanthropic arc that has reshaped some of the world’s leading medical and educational institutions.

Over the years, the Weills have directed approximately $1.5 billion to causes they believe can change lives at scale.

Within the University of California system alone, their philanthropy now exceeds $500 million, including major investments at UC Davis, UC San Francisco, and UC Berkeley, and they were recently honored with the UC Presidential Medal for their impact.

Their approach consistently focuses on building institutions and collaborations rather than one-off projects.

The Weill Neurohub, backed by a $106 million gift, unites UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, the University of Washington, and the Allen Institute in a shared effort to accelerate treatments for neurological disease.

At UCSF, the Weill Institute for Neurosciences, created with a $185 million gift, has become a central hub for understanding and treating brain and psychiatric disorders.

They have also fueled major cancer initiatives, including large matching and collaborative grants, and have been pivotal in Weill Cornell Medicine’s growth, supporting a $1.5 billion “We’re Changing Medicine” campaign and a landmark scholarship program that helps make medical education more affordable.

Sandy Weill, known for building Citigroup into a financial powerhouse, has in recent years defined himself primarily as a full-time philanthropist, channeling his experience and resources into large-scale, long-horizon projects.

Joan Weill, a longtime leader in the arts as chair emerita of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, brings an equally strong commitment to access, education, and community engagement, extending their impact across culture, science, and medicine.

Together, they have become emblematic of a new philanthropic model: deeply personal, strategically ambitious, and willing to make gifts that not only change institutions but also invite others to join them.

Commentators now routinely place them among the world’s most influential donors, noting how their cumulative giving of roughly $1.5 billion stands out even in the context of global philanthropy.

Lifestyles Magazine/Meaningful Influence congratulates Joan and Sandy Weill on this latest milestone in their remarkable journey of giving, a journey we have been honored to chronicle over many years.

The Weills have appeared in our pages numerous times over our 54 years of serving the community of leading philanthropists, including two exclusive cover stories—first as a titan of industry and later as a visionary philanthropic architect—and a more recent in-depth profile highlighting the breadth and depth of their extraordinary philanthropy.

Our longstanding relationship with the Weills has offered a front-row seat to the evolution of their generosity, and this historic UC Davis gift is a natural, inspiring continuation of the legacy we have followed so closely.

At UC Davis, the Weills’ generosity is already doing what their philanthropy so often does: inspiring momentum.

Chancellor May has stressed that the $120 million is a catalyst designed to spur additional support toward the veterinary campus expansion and to extend the school’s reach as a global leader in veterinary and comparative medicine.

Dean Stetter and his colleagues see the new UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine as both an honor and a responsibility—a call to demonstrate, in tangible ways, how record-breaking philanthropy can translate into better care for animals, new treatments for human disease, and a healthier world for all.

In that sense, the story of this gift is simple and profoundly hopeful: a family’s gratitude for the life of a small dog now stands to change the lives of countless animals and people, at UC Davis and far beyond.