$150 million new gift from Lynne and Marc Benioff to bolster healthcare access

Philanthropists Lynne and Marc Benioff have donated $150 million to two Hawaii hospitals in effort to help expand healthcare access across the islands.

That’s according to a joint statement issued Tuesday by Hilo Medical Center, Hawaii Pacific Health, UCSF Health and Salesforce.

Marc Benioff is the CEO of the software company Salesforce and he also owns TIME Magazine. His wife, Lynne Benioff, is the co-chair of TIME and is active on the boards of several organizations.

The donation is one of the largest single private philanthropic gifts in Hawaii’s history.

According to the press release, $50 million will go to Hilo Medical Center to build out critical areas of care, including a state-of-the-art family birthing center, intensive care unit, and neurosurgical program as well as behavioral health services.

In addition, $100 million will go to Hawaii Pacific Health to help create a “healthcare campus of the future” at Straub Medical Center in Honolulu.

The plan also includes connecting Hilo and Straub with UCSF Health in San Francisco to provide specialized care to patients.

This isn’t the first time the Benioff’s have donated to Hawaii’s healthcare and infrastructure sectors. Officials said in all, the Benioffs’ personal philanthropic giving totals more than $1 billion, including $600 million in healthcare donations in Hawaii, San Francisco and across the country.

“Our philosophy has always been to give locally and to give through experts who deeply understand local needs, and we are so pleased to have found that with the wonderful, lifesaving teams at Hilo Medical Center, Hawai’i Pacific Health and UCSF Health,” said the Benioff’s.

“We feel fortunate to have been part of the Hawai’i community for many decades and to be able to support our ohana in this way. Nothing is more important than the health of our community, and access to care for all who need it.”

In recognition of the Benioff’s longstanding contributions to Hawaii healthcare, officials said Hilo Medical Center will be renamed to “Hilo Benioff Medical Center” and the Straub Medical Center in Honolulu will become the “Straub Benioff Medical Center.”