Phoebe Receives $2M Grant from Richard King Mellon Foundation

Albany, GA | February 19, 2024 – One of the country’s largest charitable foundations has donated $2 million to the Phoebe Foundation.  The grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation will support the new Trauma & Critical Care Tower on Phoebe’s main campus.

“This grant is the largest single donation the Phoebe Foundation has ever received.  Our goal is to raise $15 million to offset construction, equipment and technology costs related to our new Trauma & Critical Care Tower, and this incredibly generous gift will help us reach that goal,” said Parker Douglas, Phoebe Foundation Director.

Phoebe’s new tower opened on January 15.  The first floor houses the hospital’s Emergency & Trauma Center – one of only two Level II Trauma Centers in Georgia south of Atlanta – which will double in size later this year when reconstruction of the previous emergency center is complete.  On the second floor is a vastly expanded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).  As one of six regional perinatal centers in Georgia, Phoebe’s NICU team cares for premature babies born in 22 area counties.  The tower’s third floor includes a 20-bed Surgical Intensive Care Unit that enhances Phoebe’s critical care capabilities.

“This transformational project will help ensure we meet the healthcare needs of the people of southwest Georgia for decades to come.  We greatly appreciate the Richard King Mellon Foundation’s generosity and support of our efforts to expand access to care and enhance the quality and scope of care available in southwest Georgia,’” said Scott Steiner, Phoebe Putney Health System President & CEO.

Based in Pennsylvania, the Richard King Mellon Foundation was founded in 1947 and is currently one of the 50 largest foundations in the world.  Its namesake and founder served in the U.S. Army during both World Wars.  As President of Mellon National Bank and Chairman of the Board of Mellon National Bank and Trust Company, he aided in the growth of some of the nation’s leading companies.

“Health & Well-Being is on one of our Foundation’s primary program areas, and the Foundation’s Trustees are impressed with Phoebe’s commitment to improving access to quality healthcare in a region with high rates of poverty and chronic illnesses,” said Sam Reiman, the Foundation’s Director and also a Foundation Trustee.  “This grant will assist Phoebe in its efforts to improve community health in southwest Georgia, an area where members of the Richard King Mellon family have had a longstanding connection, and it will have a positive impact on the lives of many people in that region.”

The Richard King Mellon Foundation is in the middle of a 10-year strategic plan during which it plans to award more than $1.2 billion in grants and program-related investments.  In 2023, its Trustees disbursed more than $176 million.