Brian Roberts, chairman-CEO and controlling shareholder of NBCUniversal parent Comcast, and the Roberts family have gifted $125 million to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to create Roberts Children’s Health, a new state-of-the-art, 20-story tower, and to revitalize the existing hospital.
The media giant is based in Philadelphia.
It marks the largest single donation the institution has received in its 170-year history. It’s a big grant. David Geffen, co-founder of DreamWorks SKG, gave $200 million to what became the David Geffen School Of Medicine at UCLA in 2002, followed by $146 million to a scholarship fund for medical students.
CHOP serves as the primary pediatric training facility for the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
The new inpatient complex will be the premier global destination for pediatric care when it opens in 2028, CHOP said, “combining leading research and treatment for the most complex medical conditions with family-centered healing, the pioneering care model and industry-defining technology.”
The gift continues a long-standing partnership between the hospital and the Roberts family, including their help in launching the Roberts Center for Pediatric Research, which opened in 2017, and the Roberts Collaborative for Genetics and Individualized Medicine.
“Our lives have been touched by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in countless ways, and with this gift, we hope to deliver on Madeline’s vision for the future of pediatrics and inspire others to support this life-changing work happening right here in our backyard,” said Aileen and Brian Roberts. “CHOP is already the world’s leading children’s hospital, where the best doctors, technology, and patient care come together to serve families. We’re honored and humbled to help ensure CHOP remains a magnet for the greatest medical talent, a refuge for those facing the most complex cases, an incubator for breakthrough treatments, a beacon of hope, and the pride of Philadelphia for decades to come.”
The partnership with CHOP and the Roberts family goes back decades, starting with Comcast founder Ralph Robert and his wife Suzanne Roberts. The Roberts family has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to Philadelphia institutions. Their philanthropic efforts include championing the arts, education, healthcare, and technology—from helping to open the Barnes Foundation, to advancing cancer treatment at the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at Penn Medicine, to providing technology for Philadelphia schools and students during Covid.
