MAJOR GIFTS & GRANTS
The Founders Auxiliary’s Major Gifts & Grants Programs are a cornerstone of our commitment to advancing pediatric health and innovation at Children’s National.
The Major Gifts initiative delivers impactful funding with commitments up to $1 million or more. These gifts empower vital services and fuel groundbreaking research to meet high-priority needs and drive forward transformative advancements for the future of all kids.
Annual Grants of up to $100,000 are awarded in partnership with hospital leadership to focus on meeting the hospital's most strategic priorities across research and clinical care.
MAJOR GIFTS SPOTLIGHT
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![Technicians sitting at desks and monitoring screens in the CICU telehealth command center]()
CICU TELEHEALTH COMMAND CENTER
The CICU Telehealth Command Center utilizes leading-edge technology, artificial intelligence, and remote neuro monitoring to keep 24/7 watch over the most critical cardiac patients to better predict and prevent life-threatening events.
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![Normal red blood cell and sickle cell flow inside in artery.]()
INTEGRATED PAIN MANAGEMENT FOR SICKLE CELL
Clinicians, social workers, education specialists, psychiatrists and physical therapists work together to pioneer personalized, holistic pain management for kids with sickle cell disease. This multidisciplinary approach reduces the child’s pain burden, reliance on opioids for pain relief, and increases overall quality of life.
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![Seacrest studios as seen through floor-to-ceiling glass windows]()
SEACREST STUDIOS
Seacrest Studios integrates creative expression with therapeutic support. By participating in live and virtual broadcasts and special events, patients find an outlet for self-expression, joy, and connection, helping them bring their dreams to life and thrive during treatment.
IMPACT IN ACTION
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Child Life Services are what make a children’s hospital a children’s hospital! Our funding of $450,000 covers two full-time activity coordinator positions who provide non-clinical therapeutic, diversionary and transformative programming — and a bit of normalcy – such as birthday parties, holiday celebrations, movie nights and more.
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Founders Auxiliary committed $1 million to support multicultural and low-income adolescents and their families navigate the unique challenges they face for the treatment of eating disorders. The Children’s National team focuses on overcoming cultural biases and stigmas regarding eating disorders and mental health, as well as providing bilingual support, culturally appropriate resources and at-home monitoring systems that help families stay consistent with care programs to help their children recover from their eating disorder.
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The first-of-its-kind, multidisciplinary clinic helps patients manage their pain by reducing dependency on opioids or other addictive pain management drugs. With a $1 million gift from the Founders Auxiliary, Children's National’s leading experts are treating kids holistically. This enables families to learn strategies and access services that help them thrive while living with this chronic disease.
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In January 2021, more than 300 Children’s National volunteers vaccinated 3,400 District of Columbia Public and Charter School teachers and staff for COVID-19.
This mass COVID-19 vaccination initiative was possible thanks to grants from Children’s Health Board and The Board of Visitors. Read more about D.C. Teacher and Staff Vaccinations.
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The Board of Visitors gifted $1.3 million to build a virtual command center which provides 24-hour monitoring and care of the most critically ill patients in the CICU and NICU at Children’s National. Similar to a “situation-room,” the Command Center uses technology to monitor and predict outcomes, providing an additional resource to ensure better safety and end results. In addition to monitoring the patients within the Children’s National network, this virtual center also provides local, national and international hospitals greater access to our highly-qualified medical specialists in order to save more children’s lives.
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The Board of Visitors awarded $1.5 million to accelerate progress toward breakthroughs in both cell based and molecular immunotherapy.
The scientific discoveries in these areas will speed the delivery of new treatments and cures developed specifically for pediatric patients with cancer and other life-threatening diseases to improve the survival and quality of life for these children.
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The Board of Visitors awarded $200,000 to William Gaillard, MD, chief, Epilepsy and Neurophysiology. Our funding will help expand treatment opportunities for children with epilepsy.
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The Children’s Health Board awarded $500,000 to renovate the Children’s National Pediatric Dental Clinic. The clinic which opened in 2017 ensures that the 10,000 children and their families who come to Children’s National for dental care every year will now have access to comprehensive oral health care. The overhaul of the Dental Clinic included doubling the size of the patient waiting room; expanding access areas to accommodate wheelchairs, walkers, and hospital beds; and updating the clinic’s technology, including state-of-the-art imaging and fully digitized health records. Digital displays in each room of the clinic allow the care team to pull up patient health records and demonstrate procedures for parents and patients. New equipment includes a portable X-ray machine and a soft tissue laser. This Major Gift also covered education services and enabled the Pediatric Dental Residency Program to accept more candidates.
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The Board of Visitors awarded $400,000 to launch the Ryan Seacrest Studios at Children’s National. This studio is the 9th state-of-the-art broadcast studio and media center to be opened at a major children’s hospital in the country. The Seacrest Studios enables children to explore the creative realms of radio, television, new media, and educational programming while in the hospital. Patients have access to the programming whether they are in the studios physically or in their room via closed-circuit TV. By raising a child’s spirit and tapping into their imagination this resource will encourage coping and promote healing during treatment.
SUPPORTING INNOVATION AND IMPACT AT CHILDREN’S NATIONAL
Through its strategic annual grant funding awards, the Founders Auxiliary empowers innovation across Children’s National—advancing groundbreaking research, pioneering treatments, and life-changing programs that enhance the health and well-being of every child in our care.
Since its inception, the Annual Grants Program has funded numerous transformative initiatives—fueling cutting-edge research, innovative therapies, and the acquisition of critical medical equipment.
These grants also help improve the patient and family hospital experience, support the professional growth of physicians, nurses, and staff, and expand access to care through Children’s National’s network of community pediatric clinics, serving the region’s most vulnerable children.