For every child.
Lurie Children’s is a non-profit hospital in Chicago serving every child who needs us. We are driven by excellence, inspired by innovation and powered by philanthropy.
Each year, thousands of families turn to Lurie Children’s for the highest quality care delivered in the most kid-friendly setting. Your support helps make Lurie Children’s a special place of hope and healing for every child who needs us.
More than Medicine
Helping families regardless of their social and economic circumstance has always been at the core of Lurie Children’s mission—but we can’t do it without you. A gift to Lurie Children’s helps fund services that insurance doesn’t cover and programs that families don’t receive a bill for. Pet therapy visits, in-hospital summer camp, travel vouchers and school services as well as research, advocacy and training—are all supported by philanthropic gifts.
- 1 in 4 Chicago children lives in poverty
- 56% Lurie Children's patients are under/uninsured
- 164MM in uncompensated care
How Your Gift Will Help
Access for All
When children are facing a health crisis the last thing their family should worry about is the cost of care. Your gift helps families who are underinsured or uninsured so they can focus on their child, not on their finances. Your gift funds critical visits, like second opinion exams for children diagnosed with a brain or spinal cord tumor.
Exceptional Care
Caring for kids takes more than medicine. From diagnosis through treatment—It requires compassion and understanding that kids do best when they get to be kids. Your gift helps us recruit the best talent and build and maintain kid-friendly spaces like our space-themed MRI rooms.
Stronger Communities
When communities thrive, kids are less likely to end up in the hospital. A gift to Lurie Children’s funds preventive health programs, helps us address the inequitable distribution of resources across Chicago and allows us to confront issues facing local kids like gun violence, mental health issues and food access challenges.
Advanced Research
For many families, Lurie Children’s is a place of hope. Your support helps us provide groundbreaking treatments, conduct critical clinical trials and give patients the opportunity to explore new and different treatments.
Run for Gus, presented by Deloitte
On July 17, 2025, you can play a role in advancing treatment and research for children with brain tumors. Our annual Run for Gus 5K Run/1 Mile Walk, presented by Deloitte, is your chance to raise important funds in support of the thousands of children battling brain tumors. The walk takes place at Diversey Harbor, followed by an after-party celebration with food, music, and kid entertainment!
Ways to Help
A world-class team is made up of hand raisers, go-getters and difference makers. It’s built by people who stand up for what they believe in. It’s fueled by those who won’t accept the status quo. From doctors to donors and supporters to scientists, it takes all of us to provide a healthier future for the kids we care about. You can join our team by fundraising, donating, advocating or volunteering.
Lurie Children’s Families & Friends
Lurie Children's Families & Friends is designed to give grateful family members or friends of Lurie Children’s patients a way to give back with purpose. Through financial contributions, shared stories, and participation in events, members of the Families & Friends program play a crucial role in advancing our vision of a healthier future for every child. The team at Lurie Children’s will serve as partners and advisors, helping you shape your continued journey with us.
Inspiring Stories
After an ‘Avalanche’ of a Diagnosis, Ellie Thrives on the Slopes
Ellie and Dr. Lenzen met when Ellie was diagnosed with an aggressive tumor. Fortunately, the team at Lurie Children’s are equipped to urgently handle cases like Ellie’s with expertise and compassion.
Lincoln's Community Fundraiser: How One Young Entrepreneur Raised Thousands for Lurie Children’s
Find out how Lincoln transformed a simple lemonade stand into a thriving fundraiser for Lurie Children’s and learn actionable tips for starting your own community fundraiser.
A Father’s Legacy: “When You Give, You Get Even More”
For 97 years, Donald Lewan lived by two rules: Always remember a person’s name, and always give back.
Beating Strong: A Lifechanging Pacemaker Procedure for Maeve
Identifying the arrhythmia before birth allowed the medical specialists at Lurie Children’s to make plans to treat the baby after birth. When Maeve was born, a team of specialists assembled, ready to put the care plan into action.
The Light Luca Left: One Family’s Story of ‘Gratitude and Love’
Luca was a special baby who lived a bright life for five precious months. His parents, Liz and John, planned a fundraiser to raise awareness for Trisomy 18 and give back to Lurie Children's NICU.
Pat Mac’s Pack: “We Support Cancer Research so Other Families Don’t Have to Face What We Did”
How the McNamara family’s 11-year battle with pediatric brain tumors inspired them to develop their own 501(c)(3) to help fund treatment for children. “Pediatric brain tumor research is seriously underfunded. We are passionate about supporting this research so other families don’t have to face what we did.”
Sign Up for Our Newsletter
Get health tips from our pediatric experts, news about ground-breaking research, feel-good moments and ways to get involved with us delivered right to your inbox.