After a Family Loss, Billionaires Dan and Jennifer Gilbert Seek a Cure
Their $375 million gift will build two medical centers, one named for their son, who died at age 26 of neurofibromatosis.
By Maria Di Mento
Contributor
September 8, 2023 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Cleveland Cavaliers chairman and Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert and his wife, Jennifer, have pledged $375 million to create two medical facilities in the Detroit area, Henry Ford Health announced Wednesday. One will be a new rehabilitation center at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, which will serve patients recovering from strokes, traumatic brain injuries, spinal-cord injuries, and other conditions. The other will be the Nick Gilbert Neurofibromatosis Research Institute. The couple plan to give the money through their Gilbert Family Foundation.
The new rehabilitation center will be managed by the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, a rehab facility in Chicago where Dan Gilbert recovered after he had a stroke in 2019. As part of the pledge, the couple plan to establish a $10 million fund to pay for rehabilitation care for low-income Detroit residents who have little or no health insurance coverage. The rehabilitation center is scheduled for completion in 2029.
The Nick Gilbert Neurofibromatosis Research Institute is named for the Gilberts’ oldest son, who died in May at age 26 from neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerve pathways throughout the body. Nick Gilbert was diagnosed with a type of neurofibromatosis called NF1 as a child and devoted much of his life to raising awareness about the disease, which currently has no cure.
His namesake institute will bring together medical professionals and researchers from Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University Health Sciences, who will work to find a cure for the disease. The research institute will be housed within Henry Ford Health and Michigan State’s new research building on Henry Ford Health’s east campus, and is scheduled to open in 2027.
With an estimated net worth of $21 billion, according to Forbes, the Gilberts are among the wealthiest couples in the United States. They signed the Giving Pledge in 2012 and, including this latest pledge, they have committed nearly $1 billion to a range of causes over the years. Most of their charitable work focuses on helping people in Michigan, especially to benefit residents of Detroit, where the couple live.
One of their biggest efforts came in 2021 when the couple pledged $500 million through their foundation and through Rocket Community Fund, a philanthropic arm of Dan Gilbert’s Rocket Mortgage Company, to support a range of economic-development programs to aid Detroit’s low-income neighborhoods and build financial stability for struggling Detroiters over 10 years.
An early $15 million grant in that effort established the Detroit Tax Relief Fund. Administered by the nonprofit Wayne Metro Community Action Agency, the program seeks to eliminate the property-tax debt owed by about 20,000 low-income homeowners in Detroit.
To see details of some of the Gilberts’ other charitable donations, and to learn about big gifts from other donors, see our database of gifts of $1 million or more, which we update regularly.
