Apr 20, 2017 11:53 AM EDT By Anne Collins, UniversityHerald Reporter

On Tuesday, National University announced that they received $28 million donation from T. Denny Sanford. It is the largest donation in the San-Diego based school's history.

The money will be used to nationally roll out three education initiatives under Sanford's name. It also aims to address the needs in teacher education, social skills of children and nonprofit fundraising.

Micahel Cunningham, of the National University System, which is a network of nonprofit education institutions, said they are very appreciative to have received the historic gift. He said that the gift affirms the remarkable impact of the three initiatives. This will allow them to expand the capacity of the programs even further to transform lives of the children, schools and community.

Cunningham added that they are honored to carry out the vision of Denny Sanford who has been their inspiration and driving force behind the programs. They will be dedicated to ensuring the impact of the programs last for generations. The three programs are Sanford Harmony, Sanford Inspire and the Sanford Institute of Philanthropy.

Sanford Harmony is a pre-K through sixth-grade social and emotional learning program. It promotes positive peer interactions and communications among boys and girls, which has been adopted by the nation's largest school districts in three dozen states.

The Sanford Inspire program provides support for teacher education t hrough online video systems that were developed in partnership with Teach for America and Arizona State University. The Sanford Institute of Philanthropy provides a training course for nonprofit fundraisers.

Sanford said helping others is what it's all about, which is why he was pleased to recognize the remarkable impacts the three programs are having nationwide. He shared that what used to be his dream is now a reality, which he considers the greatest gift of all of being able to see how the programs strengthen the communities and help children succeed in school and life.

The Times of San Diego reported that the donation brings total funding for the programs to around $70 million. This includes a combination of donations by Sanford, Cunningham, anonymous donors and matching funds from the university.

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