In 2022, 40 donors collectively gifted, pledged or bequeathed more than $1.7 billion dollars to hospitals and health systems in the U.S. to further causes ranging from precision oncology to addressing health inequities.
Here is an overview of the 23 largest donor commitments to hospitals or health systems organizations this year, based on data from The Chronicle of Philanthropy. The publication manages a database of recent gifts of $1 million or more made by individuals to charitable institutions. To organize the below list, Becker's focused on the cause of "health" and further narrowed the listings to include only healthcare providers.
Donors' commitments listed below total $1,752,500,000.
1. $710.5 million gift
Donor: Mike and Jackie Bezos
Recipient: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle)
The Bezos' gift will fund 36 new research labs and a large research facility, and expand the cancer center's clinical trials and immunotherapy research over 10 years. Ms. Bezos is the mother of Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon. Mr. Bezos spent 32 years working as an engineer and manager with Exxon Mobil.
2. $106 million bequest
Donor: Audrey Steele Burnand
Recipient: Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach, Calif.)
Ms. Burnand inherited her fortune from her parents, including father Harry Steele who founded U.S. Electrical Motors. Her bequest will support advanced research and patient-care programs at the hospital, which is located where the Burnands spent their summers.
3. $100 million gift
Donor: Henry and Marie-Josée Kravis
Recipient: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York City)
The gift will establish the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Cancer Ecosystems Project, which will unite research teams across the cancer center to study elements that contribute to the relapse of cancer. Mr. Kravis co-founded private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and Marie-Josée Kravis serves as vice chairman of the cancer center's board.
4. $100 million gift
Donor: Stanley and Fiona Druckenmiller
Recipient: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York City)
The gift establishes the Fiona and Stanley Druckenmiller Presidential Innovation Fund, which will back programs that aim to develop more effective ways to treat and cure cancer. Mr. Druckenmiller is an investor, hedge fund manager and former chairman and president of Duquesne Capital, which he founded in 1981. Ms. Druckenmiller is a former investment-portfolio manager at the Dreyfus Corp. who founded a fine-jewelry boutique.
5. $78 million pledge
Donor: Stuart and Molly Sloan
Recipient: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle)
The gift establishes a precision-oncology center to be built on the cancer center's Seattle campus and to support the expansion of the center's work in precision oncology. Mr. Sloan founded venture capital firm Sloan Capital Partners and is former CEO of Quality Food Centers, a supermarket chain in the Seattle area.
6. $53 million pledge
Donor: Anonymous
Recipient: Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Orange, Calif.)
The $53 million pledge from an anonymous couple in California's Orange County will create an endowment fund to support the hospital's future pressing needs.
7. $50 million gift
Donor: Peter and Diana Paulsen
Recipient: PeaceHealth (Vancouver, Wash.)
The $50 million gift will expand PeaceHealth's St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, Wash. A section of the hospital that will house a new emergency department and specialized care center for women, children, and newborns will be named for Peter Paulsen, who is a commercial real-estate developer and investor in Phoenix with ties to Bellingham.
8. $50 million gift
Donor: David and Diana Sun
Recipient: Hoag Hospital Foundation (Newport Beach, Calif.)
The gift through the donors' Sun Family Foundation will expand Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian's campus in Irvine. Mr. Sun co-founded Kingston Technology in 1987, and Ms. Sun previously served on Hoag Hospital Foundation's Board of Directors.
9. $50 million pledge
Donor: Peter and Paula Lunder
Recipient: Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston)
The Lunders' pledge will establish the MGH Learning Endowment, which will create and support the Peter L. Slavin, MD, Academy for Applied Learning in Health Care and Lunder Learning Hospital. Together, they will house training and education programs for medical and healthcare workers. Mr. Lunder is former president of the Dexter Shoe Co.mpany, a Maine shoe manufacturer that was sold to Berkshire Hathaway for nearly $9 billion in 1993.
10. $50 million gift
Donor: Anonymous
Recipient: Houston Methodist Hospital
The $50 million from an anonymous donor will back a collection of programs and services across Houston Methodist Hospital, with specific earmarks to support physician-scholars, neuroprosthetics, orthopedics and sports medicine, gastrointestinal medicine, immunology and other priorities in additional healthcare specialties.
11. $50 million gift
Donor: Robert Kraft
Recipient: Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston)
The $50 million gift will address healthcare disparities caused by patients' race, ethnicity, geography, and ability to pay for treatment through the creation of the Robert K. Kraft Endowed Chair in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, expansion of the Mass General Blood Donor Center, and augmentation of the endowment of the Kraft Center for Community Health. Mr. Kraft is the owner of investment-holdings company Kraft Group and the New England Patriots football team.
12. $50 million gift
Donor: Daniel and Jane Och
Recipient: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (New York City)
Following their $25 million gift in 2017 to build the NewYork-Presbyterian Och Spine Hospital, the latest gift from the Ochs will expand the Och Spine program and pay for new patient-care facilities throughout the New York metro area. Ms. Och is an inventor of household products and a former Goldman Sachs investment banker. Mr. Och co-founded the Och-Ziff Capital Management, leads Willoughby Capital Holdings and has served on the hospital's board since 2005.
13. $45 million gift
Donor: Neil Bluhm
Recipient: Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago)
The gift from Mr. Bluhm, a real estate magnate, establishes the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Heart Hospital. The gift expands the work of the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, which Mr. Bluhm created with a gift in 2005.
14. $40 million gift
Donor: Roger and Paula Riney
Recipient: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute / Harvard Medical School (Boston)
The gift will support cancer research programs that focus on multiple myeloma, with which Mr. Riney was diagnosed in 2015. The couple previously gave $16.5 million in 2019 to establish the Riney Family Multiple Myeloma Initiative. Mr. Riney is the founder of brokerage firm Scottrade Financial Services.
15. $35 million gift
Donor: Todd and Andie Pedersen
Recipient: Intermountain Healthcare (Salt Lake City)
The gift from the Pedersens will support Intermountain's effort to create a national health system for children and Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital in Lehi, Utah. Officials plan to name one of the sections of the hospital the Todd and Andie Pedersen Patient Tower. Todd Pedersen co-founded and is chairman of Vivint Smart Home, a home-automation and security company acquired by the Blackstone Group for approximately $2 billion in 2012.
16. $25 million gift
Donor: John and Kathy Schreiber
Recipient: Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
The gift from the Schreibers will establish the Schreiber Family Center for Early Childhood Health and Wellness, which will provide developmental programs for infants and children up to age 5. The gift will also back training for the early-childhood workforce and research into new ways to support newborns and very young children affected by social and other inequities. Mr. Schreiber retired in 2015 as a partner and co-founder of Blackstone Real Estate Advisors.
17. $25 million gift
Donor: Alan Ginsburg
Recipient: Nemours Children's Health (Orlando, Fla.)
The gift from Mr. Ginsburg, a real estate magnate, will create the Ginsburg Institute for Health Equity, where experts will focus on improving health care for children from medically underserved communities.
18. $25 million gift
Donor: Anonymous
Recipient: Children's Hospital Los Angeles
The $25 million from an anonymous donor will be used to enhance the education, professional development, and research endeavors of nurses at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The gift will back programs that help nurses receive necessary certifications, mentorship opportunities, training and research funding.
19. $25 million gift
Donor: George and Julia Argyros
Recipient: City of Hope (Duarte, Calif.)
City of Hope is putting the $25 million gift toward supporting cancer research and treatment programs at the Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center in Irvine, Calif. The Argyros couple has given tens of millions of dollars to City of Hope's various Southern California medical centers for four decades. Mr. Argyros founded real estate firm Arnel & Affiliates in 1968 and served as U.S. ambassador to Spain and Andorra from 2001 to 2004.
20. $25 million gift
Donor: Andrew and Peggy Cherng
Recipient: Huntington Hospital (Pasadena, Calif.)
The $25 million gift from the Cherngs, who founded the Panda Restaurant Group, will support Huntington Hospital's surgery programs and name a building on the medical center's campus. The Cherngs founded PRG, which operates the Panda Express chain and other dining brands, in Pasadena, Calif., where the hospital is located.
21. $20 million gift
Donor: Tod and Cindy Johnson
Recipient: St. Mary's Healthcare System for Children (Bayside, N.Y.)
The $20 million gift from the Johnsons will support a range of home care and inpatient hospital programs at St. Mary's Healthcare System for Children, a 150-year-old nonprofit for children with medically complex conditions. Ms. Johnson is co-chairman of the organization's board, and Mr. Johnson is executive chairman of market research firm NPD Group.
22. $20 million gift
Donor: Ryan and Ashley Smith
Recipient: Intermountain Healthcare (Salt Lake City)
The gift from the Smiths, who own the Utah Jazz, will support pediatric cancer research and treatment at Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital and endow a chair in pediatric cancer research. The gift will also be used to establish centers for families of children receiving treatment for cancer and blood disorders at the hospital to connect with each other.
23. $20 million gift
Donor: George and Carol Bauer
Recipient: Norwalk (Conn.) Hospital
The Bauers' gift will fund an expansion project and construction of Norwalk Hospital's new patient pavilion. Mr. Bauer is a retired IBM executive. Ms. Bauer has been a volunteer at the hospital for more than 40 years, served as the board's first woman chairperson and currently serves as one of the hospital's certified chaplains.