COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Nationwide Foundation announced today a $10 million investment through its Pediatric Innovation Fund to expand Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s affordable housing in the Linden and South Side neighborhoods and advance the hospital’s groundbreaking work in genomic medicine, data science and clinical research.
The 2025 gift, which builds on more than a decade of philanthropic investments in vital programs, supports key hospital initiatives including biomedical data sciences, genomics, population health, endowed chairs and behavioral health. These programs seek to help all children have a healthy future, whether they live in central Ohio or across the United States.
“Through the Pediatric Innovation Fund, Nationwide Children’s Hospital is advancing research and community health in ways that are both innovative and far-reaching,” said Nationwide CEO and Nationwide Foundation Chairman Kirt Walker. “Their groundbreaking work in affordable housing, genomics, mental health and data science is making a measurable difference for children and families here in Ohio and around the world.”
The Nationwide Foundation established the Pediatric Innovation Fund in 2014 to target strategic investments in pediatric and community health and to accelerate the most promising research and clinical discoveries at Nationwide Children’s. The Nationwide Foundation’s contributions to Nationwide Children’s Hospital have now reached $170 million, including an initial transformational $50 million donation in 2006 and $120 million to the Pediatric Innovation Fund.
In addition, Nationwide’s sports marketing programs, including the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, have raised more than $70 million since 2011 to support hospital programs.
Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Families
Community factors such as access to housing, health care, education, employment, and healthy food directly affect a person’s health. By dedicating support from The Pediatric Innovation Fund to Nationwide Children’s Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families initiative, The Nationwide Foundation is helping address factors that impact health and well-being through housing.
“Improving the health of families and neighborhoods means tackling the root causes — like housing and economic stability — that shape health outcomes,” said Tim Robinson, CEO of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “Real change takes all of us, and the Nationwide Foundation’s extraordinary $10 million gift is a powerful catalyst. It will accelerate our work in affordable housing, fuel groundbreaking genomic research, drive innovation in data science, and help us attract world-class talent. Together, we’re building a healthier future — starting at home.”
Healthy Homes, the affordable housing arm of Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families, will construct scattered-site affordable rental homes in Linden. In the South Side, the fund will contribute to developing new homes for affordable rentals and constructing homes that will be sold for homeownership.
“Nationwide Children’s Hospital is redefining pediatric care and neighborhood health, and we’re proud to stand with them. Our shared commitment to solutions like affordable housing and research reflects our belief that every child deserves a healthier future. The Nationwide Foundation is honored to support work that creates a lasting impact in our community and beyond,” said Walker.
Transforming Care Together
Other programs benefiting from this year’s $10 million gift include:
- Genomics: Funding in 2025 will support capital and programming enhancements to process genomes more quickly and cost-effectively at the hospital’s Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine. Additionally, a new study focused on finding ways to detect cancer early using a simple blood test will begin enrolling patients. Established in 2016, the Institute is one of the leading programs in pediatric precision genomic medicine in the U.S., focusing on genomics as the key to diagnosis and to identifying treatments for a range of childhood diseases.
- The Kids Mental Health Foundation (founded and operated by Nationwide Children’s Hospital): 2025 support includes translating resources into Spanish to reach more families, providing mental health resources to sports coaches, updating online curriculum to help parents support their kids’ mental health and launching The Kids Mental Health Corporate Collective to empower and amplify companies, brands, and employers who’ve made a commitment to build a better future for kids and their mental well-being. Nationwide’s involvement in the Corporate Collective will lend instant credibility and name recognition to this important effort.
- Biomedical Data Sciences: In 2025, the Office of Data Sciences aims to improve data integration, expand secure user access, boost cloud support for research and AI, and launch a hub to make data more accessible to Nationwide Children’s researchers.
- The Nationwide Foundation Endowed Chair in Emergency Medicine: Funds will support ongoing efforts to attract and retain best-in-class talent by creating the Nationwide Foundation Endowed Chair in Emergency Medicine. The chair will be awarded to Rachel M. Stanley, MD, division chief for emergency medicine at Nationwide Children's Hospital and professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Eighteen endowed chairs have been made possible through the Nationwide Foundation. These endowed chairs are critical to the recruitment and retention of top medical talent, supporting the Hospital’s ranking as a Top Ten children’s hospital in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
About Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-26 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 17,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.9 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.
About The Nationwide Foundation
The Nationwide Foundation is a nonprofit, private foundation to which Nationwide companies are the donors. Founded in 1959, the Nationwide Foundation has contributed more than $700 million since 2000 to help nonprofit organizations in communities where Nationwide associates and their families live and work.
About Nationwide
Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified financial services and insurance organizations in the United States. Nationwide is rated A+ by Standard & Poor’s. An industry leader in driving customer-focused innovation, Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and financial services products including auto, business, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; and pet, motorcycle and boat insurance.
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