Harvard University, based in USA, boasts a staggering $40.9 billion endowment, ranking among the wealthiest institutions globally. Established in 1636, it was renamed Harvard College in 1639 after benefactor John Harvard, who bequeathed $1.285 and his books. In 2014, Citadel founder Kenneth C. Griffith, a Harvard alum, donated $150 million, marking the largest individual donation in its history.