$20 million gift to Cancer Center from Elaine and Eduardo Saverin
Elaine and Eduardo Saverin have taken another major step in shaping their young but fast-growing philanthropic legacy with a landmark $20 million gift to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the largest non-federal grant the institution has ever received for metastatic breast cancer research.
The donation reflects the couple’s increasing commitment to long-term, high-impact investments in healthcare and reinforces their focus on supporting patients and communities whose needs are often overlooked.
Since establishing the Elaine and Eduardo Saverin Foundation in 2023, the couple has directed their philanthropy toward ideas and institutions they believe can drive meaningful, durable change.
Their foundation focuses on healthcare, education, mental health, wildlife conservation, and regenerative futures, with an emphasis on innovation and the leaders who can carry it forward. Although still new, the foundation has quickly become known for backing ambitious projects with the potential to reshape systems rather than provide short-term assistance.
The Dana-Farber gift is now the clearest example of that approach.
Elaine Saverin said the decision to support metastatic breast cancer research stemmed from a belief that patients with stage IV disease deserve far greater attention and investment.
She noted that these patients often face complex treatments and uncertain outcomes, yet remain underrepresented in broader cancer research efforts.
By directing funding to Dana-Farber, she said she hopes to improve both the therapies available and the overall experience of people living with advanced breast cancer.
Dana-Farber leaders described the contribution as transformative.
Benjamin L. Ebert, MD, PhD, the institute’s president and CEO, said the gift will significantly accelerate research into how metastatic breast cancer develops, why treatments succeed or fail, and how care can be personalized.
He emphasized that the grant enables Dana-Farber to pursue new scientific directions and speed the transition from lab discoveries to patient care.
The donation will support a wide range of work across the metastatic breast cancer program. Researchers will use the funding to strengthen clinical trials, identify biomarkers that show which patients may respond to specific therapies, expand large-scale data systems that combine clinical and genetic information from tens of thousands of patients, and develop new diagnostic tools that detect recurrence earlier than current methods allow.
A significant component of the gift also supports the Saverin Research Awards, which fund early, high-potential research ideas from Dana-Farber scientists.
Artificial intelligence will also play a growing role, helping researchers analyze tumor behavior, predict treatment outcomes, and uncover the mechanisms underlying therapy resistance.
Dr. Sara Tolaney, chief of the division of breast oncology at Dana-Farber, said the impact of the Saverin Foundation’s support will be felt across the entire research ecosystem.
She noted that the grant strengthens the institute’s ability to pursue novel approaches and develop technologies that may improve both survival and quality of life for people living with metastatic breast cancer.
For the Saverins, the Dana-Farber investment signals the direction their philanthropy is heading: large, focused commitments aimed at partnering with respected institutions to drive measurable progress.
Though their foundation is only two years old, this gift places them among a growing group of modern philanthropists who view giving as a strategic tool for accelerating scientific breakthroughs and creating long-term solutions.
Their support of metastatic breast cancer research underscores a deeply personal philosophy—one centered on compassion, scientific advancement, and belief in the power of well-supported institutions to change lives.