HCD Funder Spotlight: Nemours

For the last three years, Nemours Children’s Health has partnered with HCD to help fund its annual grant cycle, including the most recent $1.6 million investment in Delaware’s most underserved neighborhoods. The partnership underscores Nemours’ commitment to addressing health beyond the walls of healthcare facilities, including the social, economic, behavioral, and environmental factors that affect children every day.

“By forging strategic partnerships, we enable impactful and sustainable transformations in community health, aligning with the evolving and dynamic needs of our local communities,” said Yvette Santiago, Nemours Regional Director for Community Engagement and Impact in the Delaware Valley. “Through collaboration and collective funding, HCD enhances our efforts to tackle the intricate conditions influencing children’s lives and empowering future generations to reach their full potential, creating the healthiest generations of children.”

Nemours donated $199.2 million in 2024 as part of their community benefit, including $48.6 million in charity care and $39 million in community health. Through strategic community partnerships, associate volunteerism, and targeted initiatives, Nemours seeks to address the root causes of health disparities, such as the Vital Conditions, food security, positive youth development, maternal-child health, and emotional-behavioral health.

Beyond its philanthropic giving, Nemours is also strategic in how it allocates its operational spending to benefit Delaware. For example, Nemours Children’s Health and the State of Delaware launched a partnership to establish the first pediatric global revenue budget model in the U.S., aligning Medicaid payments with Nemours’ goal of keeping children healthy rather than rewarding higher service volume. Under this new model, Nemours will focus on both medical and social factors that influence children’s health, expanding its “whole child health” approach to reach all Delaware children, especially those in underserved communities.

Nemours’ partnership with HCD and its broader community investments demonstrate a powerful commitment to redefining what it means to care for children’s health. By combining philanthropy, innovative care models, and strategic use of resources, Nemours is not only improving outcomes for individual children but also strengthening the systems and neighborhoods that shape their futures.