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Investing in our future

Realizing our mission to end cancer requires a significant investment in research, clinical care, prevention, education and training, and our facilities. It also requires hiring and retaining the best and brightest faculty and staff. Significant investments from generous donors during FY24 made the following initiatives possible.

Belfer Neurodegeneration Consortium

Laurence Belfer, on behalf of Robert Belfer and the Belfer family, made a transformational gift to support neurodegeneration research through the Belfer Neurodegeneration Consortium. Launched in 2012, the consortium is a transformative multi-institutional initiative to advance the study and treatment of Alzheimer¡¯s disease and its links to cancer.

Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation

Philanthropic support from around the world is furthering discovery, research and talent within the newly launched Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation. Lead gifts from Meg and Kirk Gentle, the Marcus Foundation and the Tanoto Foundation aided the investigation, development and manufacturing of next-generation cell therapies for cancer patients, including clinical trials developed by Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D., vice president and head of the Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation, who will work with her team to accelerate treatments to the bedside.

Be Well Beaumont

ExxonMobil¡¯s gift launched the Be Well? Beaumont program in early 2025 to promote wellness and to lower cancer risk among community members in East Texas. Be Well Beaumont is the latest installation of MD Anderson¡¯s Be Well Communities?, a place-based strategy for comprehensive cancer prevention and control through sustainable, community-led solutions.

Institutes

The Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Foundation supported the ongoing identification, recruitment and training of the next generation of pioneering leaders underway at MD Anderson¡¯s newly established institutes, including the James P. Allison Institute, the Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation and the Institute for Data Science in Oncology.

Leukemia

Rosemary Harrison made a gift to accelerate immunotherapy research led by William Wierda, M.D., Ph.D., for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Nursing Transformation

Howard Meyers established the Meyers Institute for Oncology Nursing, which supports and develops nurses throughout their careers by providing educational, professional and wellness based resources tailored to cancer care nurses and nurse scientists. Within the Meyers Institute, the F. W. Bert and Mae Dean Wheeler Foundation established the F. W. Bert and Mae Dean Wheeler Nurse Leadership Academy, focusing on developing the unique leadership capabilities required to successfully lead within oncology nursing and providing the support, coaching and mentoring infrastructure required for success.

Planning for future investments

In FY24, 63 donors included MD Anderson in their estate plans. When donors include MD Anderson in their estate plans, they become an enduring part of our mission to end cancer in Texas, the nation and the world. Planned gifts support MD Anderson¡¯s innovative programs to advance patient care, research, education and training well into the future. For example, in FY24, Steve and Sue Sanders made a planned gift to support research and programs benefiting patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Similarly, an anonymous donor committed their planned gift to endowed positions for faculty supporting colorectal, pancreatic and ovarian cancer care, and to endowed support for chaplaincy, basic science and continuing education for nurses.