Donor Gives $680 Million to Columbia University, NewYork-Presbyterian, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Florence Irving has given $600 million to the Columbia University Irving Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center for cancer research and patient care, the two institutions announced today.

Ms. Irving is the widow of Herbert Irving, a co-founder and former vice chairman of Sysco Corporation. He died last year at 98.

The couple had previously given the two institutions gifts totaling about $100 million. This new infusion of money will enable the two medical centers to hire more scientists, physicians, and other staff dedicated to improving patient care and radiation therapy, creating new surgical practices, and developing new patient therapies.

The money will also go toward expanding the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, named for Mr. Irving after the couple gave $40 million for the center that year. In 2015, they gave $50 million to Columbia to endow a genomic research center.

In addition, Ms. Irving announced another large gift today. She is contributing $80 million to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she is a trustee emeritus. That money will endow new acquisitions of artworks and endow the Department of Asian Art.