$545 million in new funding to various health systems by mega-philanthropist Ken Griffin
Kenneth Griffin, founder and CEO of investment firm Citadel, has donated a total of $545 million to various hospitals, health systems and cancer treatment and research specialists over the last 18 months.
The hedge fund manager and entrepreneur is also the co-chief investment officer and 80% owner of Citadel and has a net worth of about $41.8 billion, according to Bloomberg. He has donated more than $2 billion towards education, opportunity and health sciences initiatives.
Northwestern Medicine, Baptist Health South Florida and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital are among the health systems that recently received donations from Mr. Griffin:
Last month, Mr. Griffin donated $10 million to Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine to support research and treatment advancements for patients with esophageal diseases through the newly named Kenneth C. Griffin Esophageal Center. The center treats more than 5,000 patients a year for swallowing disorders, esophageal cancers, reflux disease and other esophageal conditions.
New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery also received a $10 million gift from Mr. Griffin in June. The donation will establish the Kenneth C. Griffin Research Accelerator to expedite HSS research and support construction of the HSS Kellen Tower, a new headquarters for joint replacement surgery that HSS expects to open in 2025. HSS performs more than 12,000 hip and knee replacement surgeries a year, more than any other hospital in the country.
Coral Gables-based Baptist Health South Florida received a $50 million donation from Mr. Griffin in March. The health system said it will use the funds to advance care and research neurodegenerative disorders — such as Alzheimer’s disease — and build a neuroscience center on the Kendall campus of its Baptist Hospital. The Kenneth C. Griffin Center at Miami Neuroscience Institute will break ground in 2025 and open in three years.
Miami-based Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center also received a $50 million gift from Mr. Griffin in March. The gift will be used to improve access to services provided in the center’s new 244,000-square-foot facility, which is set to open in 2025. It will also double the center’s research footprint, enhance patient care and expand access to clinical trials.
In December, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center received a $400 million donation — the largest in its history — from Mr. Griffin and David Geffen, an entrepreneur and record executive, in December. The funds are being used to expand clinical services and educational programs and create more prevention programs.
Miami-based Nicklaus Children’s Hospital received a $25 million gift from Mr. Griffin in February 2023. The donation is being used to develop a 127,000-square-foot surgical tower and fund Nicklaus Children’s four major institutes advancing pediatric care related to the brain, cancer and blood disorders, the heart and orthopedics.