Mark R. Laret, chief executive officer of UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, and UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann have announced a $100 million gift from San Francisco residents Marc and Lynne Benioff to help build a new home for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital at Mission Bay. The private gift is the largest donation ever made by the Benioffs and is the largest gift ever made to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. Laret and Desmond-Hellmann also announced that the hospital is being renamed the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. Construction of a 184-bed new children's hospital is expected to be completed in 2014.
"This generous donation brings UCSF Medical Center to $320 million in pledges for our philanthropic goal of $600 million toward building a 289-bed, $1.5 billion Children's, Women's and Cancer hospital complex at Mission Bay.
Lynne and Marc Benioff are amazing people. Marc is the co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Salesforce.com; and Lynne serves on the UCSF Foundation Board. Their daughter was born almost two years ago at UCSF. Marc designed philanthropy into the very fabric of Salesforce.com, donating 1 percent of the company's equity, 1 percent of profits and 1 percent of employee time to support community needs. The Benioffs have decided to focus their personal philanthropy on UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, with the goal of not only seeing the new hospital built but significantly advancing children's health worldwide."