Upon her death, Winston had been giving to the University of Wisconsin Foundation for more than three decades. She directed funds to, in part, the Wisconsin Union, the Chazen Museum of Art, Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection in the School of Human Ecology, the Medical Genetics Department and Medicine and Public Health.
A devoted opera lover, Winston gave directly to UW Opera and the School of Music’s new Performance Center. In 2003, through the UW School of Music, Winston funded a fellowship for a graduate student in voice.