Moody Foundation Gives ‘Historic’ 9‑Figure Gift to Support New $5B Pediatric Hospital Campus in Dallas

To recognize the foundation's "record-breaking" support, the hospital at the new Dallas pediatric campus will be named Moody Children's Hospital upon completion in 2031.

The Moody Foundation has provided a historic nine-figure grant to Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center to support a new $5 billion pediatric health campus in Dallas.

To recognize the foundation’s support, the hospital at the new Dallas pediatric campus will be named Moody Children’s Hospital upon completion in 2031. It will help meet the increasing demand for pediatric healthcare, research and training, Children’s Health said.

In October, Children’s Health and UT Southwestern broke ground on the pediatric health campus. Two earlier $100 million gifts for the project were previously announced as coming from The Rees-Jones Foundation and the Pogue Foundation.

The new Dallas pediatric campus will be located in Dallas’ Southwestern Medical District, directly across from UT Southwestern’s William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital.

The Moody Foundation’s “transformational grant”—the amount was unspecified—is the largest gift to date for the project. Children’s Health said the grant is in addition to the more than $400 million the Moody Foundation has contributed previously to Children’s Health and the University of Texas System.

‘Deep’ trust and ‘shared vision’

From left: Christopher J. Durovich (President and CEO, Children’s Health), Amanda Billings (Vice President, Development and Alumni Relations, UT Southwestern Medical Center), Frances Moody-Dahlberg, Brent Christopher (President, Children’s Medical Center Foundation), Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D., (President, UT Southwestern Medical Center). [Photo: PR Newswire]

“Naming the new hospital is a reflection of the deep trust and shared vision between the Moody Foundation, Children’s Health and UT Southwestern,” Frances Moody-Dahlberg, president and CEO of the Moody Foundation, said in a statement. “Together, with Moody Children’s Hospital, we’re building more than a hospital—we’re building hope.”

The Moody Foundation has played a pivotal role in improving Texas communities for more than 80 years by providing more than $2.6 billion in charitable funding through more than 5,500 grants.

Guided by its mission of empowering Texas communities to thrive and prosper, the Moody Foundation has supported education, social services, children’s needs and community development.

“Thanks to the Moody family’s incredible vision and philanthropy, we continue to push the boundaries of pediatric healthcare and innovation,” Christopher J. Durovich, president and CEO of Children’s Health, said in a statement. “Their generosity will be reflected in the state-of-the-art care provided at our new Dallas campus, helping us redefine pediatric health care and transform the lives of children and families across North Texas and the country for decades to come.”

“The Moody Foundation’s transformative investment in the well-being of future generations of children and youth marks a pivotal moment in our ability to reshape pediatric care across Texas, train the next generation of caregivers and accelerate vital discoveries that will continuously enhance our capacity to heal,” Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D., president of UT Southwestern Medical Center, said in a statement. “The foundation’s commitment to advancing our new pediatric campus will have a lasting and meaningful impact on the patients and families we are privileged to serve.”

Fast-growing pediatric population in North Texas

North Texas region’s pediatric population is expected to double by 2050, which underscores the need for expanded access to top-tier pediatric healthcare.

“This extraordinary gift is yet another testament to the Moody family’s unwavering dedication to expanding access to high-quality healthcare for every child,” Brent Christopher, president of Children’s Medical Center Foundation, said in a statement. “Their generosity will shape the future of medicine for kids across our community and far beyond. With the Moody Foundation grant, we now have reached half of the amount of community support needed to bring the new Dallas pediatric campus to life.”

This grant is the third, and largest, nine-figure gift to support the new Dallas pediatric campus project.

This announcement follows the $100 million early gifts from the Pogue Foundation announced in May 2024, and from the Rees-Jones Foundation announced in October.

The project is a joint venture between Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center and will serve as a collaborative center for innovation, academic research, training and the advancement of lifesaving technologies.


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