Newswise — (COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Nationwide Children’s Hospital is honored to announce that it has received a historic 10-year commitment of $100 million from the Nationwide Foundation. This landmark announcement marks the public launch of the hospital’s “Empower the Possible” campaign that with other gifts brings the campaign’s fundraising total to more than $270 million, more than halfway to the campaign goal of $500 million.

The Nationwide Foundation commitment represents the largest ever corporate foundation commitment to a children’s hospital in the United States and will enable Nationwide Children’s to realize its long-term strategic plan aimed at transforming health outcomes for children locally and around the world.

“Nationwide Foundation has supported our mission for nearly seven decades, and we are deeply grateful for this latest demonstration of their unprecedented generosity,” said Tim Robinson, Nationwide Children’s Hospital chief executive officer. “Today’s landmark announcement is inspiring for the entire team as we work to achieve our ambitious strategic plan. We exist to achieve best outcomes for children everywhere, and Nationwide has been by our side every step of the way. We are honored to have the Nationwide Foundation as a leading contributor to our campaign and our hope is that their philanthropy will inspire others to support ‘Empower the Possible.’ ” 

This latest philanthropic commitment extends the Nationwide Foundation’s tradition of supporting the hospital through transformational gifts to support children’s health.

Since 2006, the Nationwide Foundation has made philanthropic contributions to NCH, including a $50 million historic gift in 2006 and annual gifts of $10 million through the Nationwide Foundation Pediatric Innovation Fund.

The Nationwide Foundation Pediatric Innovation Fund has supported cutting-edge treatment and discovery in many areas. In the early years of the Fund, genomics, cardiology, injury prevention, and neonatology were key focus areas. In more recent years, as the needs of our community have evolved, the Innovation Fund has supported population health, behavioral health, and innovative methods of harnessing technology and data. The Innovation Fund also has consistently been used to recruit and retain the best and brightest minds in medicine through an endowed chair program. Nationwide Foundation has generously created 17 endowed chairs, the highest honor that can be given to a researcher or clinician. These endowments stand in perpetuity, creating a legacy of excellence associated with Nationwide Foundation that will last for generations.

“We are proud of our long-standing support of Nationwide Children’s Hospital,” said Chad Jester, president of the Nationwide Foundation. “This historic gesture represents our commitment to the future of children’s health and our belief in the world-class care provided by the team at NCH. We encourage other individuals and institutions to join us in supporting this vital mission.”

Nationwide Foundation has already contributed $30 million toward this $100 million commitment. The commitment will include annual $10 million gifts, each contingent on approval from the Nationwide Foundation board of trustees.

The transformational commitment will help fund the hospital’s strategic plan. Individual and institutional commitment to the campaign will enable Nationwide Children's to realize the vision of:

  • Advancing cutting-edge treatment and discovery through integrated clinical care and research.
  • Creating a national model for expanding access to behavioral health services.
  • Creating the healthiest community of children by addressing the social determinants of health.
  • Increasing support for Genomics Research and Personalized Medicine.

To learn more and to help Nationwide Children’s Hospital “Empower the Possible,” visit www.nationwidechildrens.org\Empower-the-Possible.

About Nationwide Children’s Hospital Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics, and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 14,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.7 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.

About The Nationwide Foundation The Nationwide Foundation is a nonprofit, private foundation to which Nationwide companies are the donors. Founded in 1959, the Nationwide Foundation has contributed more than $550 million since 2000 to help nonprofit organizations in communities where Nationwide associates and their families live and work.

About Nationwide 

Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the United States. Nationwide is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. An industry leader in driving customer-focused innovation, Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and financial services products including auto, business, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities, mutual funds and ETFs; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; and pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com. Follow the firm on Facebook and Twitter

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