Dana-Farber Cancer Institute received a $50M grant from the Yawkey Foundation to support its planned 14-floor, 300-room dedicated cancer hospital in Boston and the Future of Cancer Care Fund, continuing an 80-year philanthropic partnership.
A philanthropic relationship stretching back more than eight decades has produced its largest single transaction to date. The Yawkey Foundation has committed $50 million to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, directing proceeds toward a planned inpatient cancer facility in Boston and a broader initiative called the Future of Cancer Care Fund.
Dana-Farber has been advancing plans for a standalone hospital it will own and operate independently. At 14 floors and 450,000 SF, the facility would offer 300 private inpatient rooms and carry the distinction of being the only dedicated adult cancer hospital serving New England. A pedestrian bridge crossing Brookline Avenue will connect the new building to the existing Yawkey Center for Cancer Care and will be named after Jean and Tom Yawkey.
The Yawkey Foundation’s involvement with Dana-Farber predates the institution’s current name. Tom Yawkey was among the earliest private backers of founder Dr. Sidney Farber’s research program, and he joined Dana-Farber’s Board of Trustees in 1954, later serving as both president and chairman. Jean Yawkey continued that board relationship following his death in 1976, serving as chair through 1979. A landmark arrangement between the Boston Red Sox and the Jimmy Fund, formalized in 1953 while Tom Yawkey owned the team, became one of the first formal partnerships between a professional sports franchise and a cancer research institution.
Previous capital support from the foundation includes a $30 million contribution in 2007 that funded construction of the Yawkey Center for Cancer Care. The foundation has distributed more than $620 million in grants across health care, education, human services, and related causes since its founding.
Dana-Farber’s president and CEO Dr. Benjamin L. Ebert and board chair Josh Bekenstein both acknowledged the gift publicly, as did Yawkey Foundation chairman John L. Harrington and CEO Alicia Verity. Dana-Farber announced the grant on June 9, 2026.
The planned facility will be located in Boston’s Longwood Medical Area, spanning 450,000 SF across 14 floors with 300 private inpatient rooms, owned and operated by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.