Key Takeaways
- The gift: The Boston Celtics ownership group and the team gave Boston Children's Hospital more than $200 million, the hospital said on October 29, 2026. WBUR reported it is the largest gift in the hospital's history.
- How it came together: Co-owner Rob Hale and his wife, Karen, gave $100 million in December, and the other owners matched it, Boston.com reported, citing The Boston Globe.
- What it funds: A pediatric mental health facility, research into childhood diseases, advanced training for pediatric nurses, an innovation fund and family programs. The hospital gave no dollar split.
- By WYDE's arithmetic: The gift equals about 33% of the $598.8 million in contributions on the hospital's latest Form 990, and it ranks second on WYDE's list of 2026 healthcare gifts.
The Boston Celtics ownership group and the Boston Celtics gave more than $200 million to Boston Children's Hospital, the hospital said in a release on October 29, 2026. The gift, made with the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, is the largest in the hospital's history, WBUR reported.
How the Celtics Owners' $200 Million Gift Came Together
The total includes money given earlier. Rob Hale, a Celtics co-owner, and his wife, Karen, gave $100 million in December, which inspired the other owners to match it, Boston.com reported, citing The Boston Globe. By WYDE's arithmetic, that leaves more than $100 million from the rest of the group. The hospital's release does not mention the Hales' earlier gift or break down the total.
Hale founded Granite Telecommunications in Quincy, and the couple gave $50 million each to Boston Children's and Brigham and Women's Hospital in 2018, CBS Boston reported. The Globe compared the new gift with the $198 million the Red Sox have contributed to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Jimmy Fund over the years, according to Boston.com. "The Jimmy Fund and the Red Sox are a wonderful blueprint to absorb and learn from," Hale told the Globe.
Bill Chisholm, the Celtics' chairman and governor, led the group that bought the team in 2025 in a deal valued at more than $6.1 billion, WBUR reported. "This gift is our commitment to the next generation in Boston and far beyond," Chisholm said in the release.
What Boston Children's Hospital Says the Gift Will Fund
The hospital listed five priorities: building what it calls the nation's premier pediatric mental health facility, research into emerging therapies for childhood diseases and the origins of adult diseases, advanced training for pediatric nurses, an innovation fund, and family programs that encourage healthy lifestyles. It gave no dollar figure for any of them.
"While the size of this gift is unprecedented for Boston Children's Hospital, its significance will ultimately be measured not by the record it sets, but by the lives it will save," said Dr. Kevin Churchwell, the hospital's chief executive. "The research funding, as well as the facility for pediatric mental health, is going to touch many, many lives for decades to come," Dr. Ryan Nagy, its president and chief operations officer, told WBUR.
Boston Children's plans a $640 million pediatric behavioral health campus in Brighton, WYDE reported this month. The release does not name a site or say how much of this gift would go to one. Related WYDE coverage: Bank of America Gives Boston Children's Hospital $10 Million for Its New Behavioral Health Campus.
What the Form 990 Shows About the Size of the Gift
Boston Children's files its tax return as Childrens Hospital Corporation. It reported $598.8 million in contributions and $3.59 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending September 2025, according to its Form 990. By WYDE's arithmetic, $200 million is about 33% of that year's contributions and 5.6% of its revenue. Neither part of the gift appears in those figures, because that fiscal year closed before the Hales gave in December.
On WYDE's list of the largest healthcare gifts of 2026, the gift ranks second. Only the $400 million from Bill Ackman and Neri Oxman is larger, and the $150 million gifts from Harold Hamm and from Felicia and Ben Horowitz follow it.
People Also Ask
How much did the Celtics owners give to Boston Children's Hospital?
The Boston Celtics ownership group and the Boston Celtics gave more than $200 million to Boston Children's Hospital, the hospital said on October 29, 2026. The gift was made with the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation.
Does the $200 million include Rob Hale's $100 million gift?
Yes. Rob and Karen Hale's $100 million gift to Boston Children's Hospital in December inspired the other Celtics owners to match it, bringing the total to $200 million, Boston.com reported, citing The Boston Globe.
Is it the largest gift in Boston Children's Hospital history?
Yes, WBUR reported. Dr. Kevin Churchwell, the chief executive of Boston Children's Hospital, called the size of the gift unprecedented for the hospital. The Hales' $100 million was the record before it.
What will the Celtics gift to Boston Children's Hospital fund?
Boston Children's Hospital said the gift will support a pediatric mental health facility, research into childhood diseases, advanced training for pediatric nurses, an innovation fund and family programs.
Sources: Boston Children's Hospital, WBUR, Boston.com, CBS Boston, ProPublica.