Farmer Family Foundation commits $50 million to The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati

The Farmer Family Foundation has committed $50 million to The Christ Hospital Health Network in Cincinnati, the network announced on October 19, calling it the largest philanthropic investment in its history. The money will modernize and expand its Mt. Auburn campus.

The network said the gift was revealed on October 17 at its Illuminate the Path Gala. We found no independent news coverage beyond the network's release; Inside Philanthropy's October 19 roundup summarized it.

What will the money be used for?

The gift will modernize and expand facilities on the Mt. Auburn campus, home to the network's acute care hospital. According to the release, the aim is to create patient-centered spaces, improve access to care and support patient outcomes. The release does not name specific projects for the $50 million, give construction dates or say over how many years the money will be paid.

Who is the Farmer Family Foundation?

It is a Cincinnati private foundation founded by Richard T. Farmer that focuses on education, health and community needs, the network said. The foundation reported total assets of about $242.2 million and expenses of about $52.4 million for 2024 on its Form 990-PF, the annual return private foundations file with the IRS, according to ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer. That figure is in line with the book values on its returns, which record holdings largely at cost. Its 2023 return, the latest with extracted figures, put the fair market value of its assets at about $1.17 billion. (Clarified November 9, 2026, to add the market value; see our story on its Miami pledge.)

Is this the foundation's first big gift to the network?

No. The network describes the foundation as a partner of more than a decade whose earlier support helped develop its Joint & Spine Center and transform its Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. In August 2025 the foundation gave $15 million to the Heart & Vascular Institute, which the network called at the time the largest philanthropic investment in its history. The new gift breaks that record about 14 months later.

What did the network and the foundation say?

Debbie Hayes, president and CEO of the network, called the commitment "a defining investment in the future of our health system." Amy Joseph, a trustee of the foundation, said, "We believe exceptional institutions must prepare to meet the needs of the next generation." Steve Rosfeld, president of The Christ Hospital Foundation, said, "A commitment of this magnitude is transformational."

What other hospital foundations can learn

In our view, a repeat funder is often the best source of a record gift: here a decade of project gifts, then $15 million, then $50 million. Hospital foundations can map their own long-term supporters the same way, and donors can check a private foundation's giving capacity in its public filings; our guide to reading a Form 990 explains where to look. For another $50 million health gift announced the same day, see the Mellowes gift to the Medical College of Wisconsin. We have not seen the commitment agreement.