Nike Co-Founder Phil Knight Pledges $1.1B to Build Oregon’s First Women’s Health Hospital

Key points

• The $1.1 billion donation will establish a new women’s health hospital on the Providence St. Vincent Medical Center campus in Portland, Oregon.
• The new facility will provide integrated care in gynecology, pregnancy, labor and delivery, menopause, and cardiology, including a modernized neonatal intensive care unit.
• Funds will also support the Providence Heart Institute, which sees nearly 63,000 patients annually across the Pacific Northwest, by funding clinical trials, diagnostic imaging, and physician recruitment.
• This gift follows a $200 million donation to the Providence Heart Institute over the past decade and a recent $2 billion gift to Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute.
• Providence leaders noted that many pregnant patients also manage conditions like hypertension and diabetes, requiring the specialized, integrated care the new hospital will provide.

Background

The Knight family has been a major force in Oregon healthcare philanthropy. In 2026, they contributed $2 billion to the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University. Their previous $200 million gift to the Providence Heart Institute helped launch a successful heart transplant program and increase patient volume from 40,000 to 63,000 over a decade. This latest donation continues a pattern of large-scale investments in regional medical infrastructure and research.

How outlets are covering it

GeekWire emphasizes the gift as one of the largest ever pledged to a U.S. healthcare institution, highlighting the ambition of the new women’s hospital. CNBC frames the donation as part of a broader philanthropic record, noting the couple’s recent $2 billion gift to the Knight Cancer Institute and their inclusion on Time Magazine’s TIME100 Philanthropy 2025 list. KPTV focused on the formal announcement and the scale of the commitment, while GeekWire and CNBC both detailed the specific clinical needs, such as the intersection of pregnancy and cardiovascular disease, that the new hospital aims to address.

Why it matters

The $1.1 billion donation represents a significant shift in healthcare infrastructure, addressing the complex, multi-condition needs of women, particularly during pregnancy. By integrating women’s health with cardiovascular care, the new hospital aims to improve outcomes for patients managing conditions like hypertension and diabetes alongside pregnancy. The investment also strengthens the Providence network’s capacity for research and clinical trials, potentially influencing healthcare standards across the Pacific Northwest.

What to watch

Providence is expected to outline project timelines and specific details of the women’s hospital construction in the coming months. The funds will also be used to recruit leading physicians and expand diagnostic capabilities at the Providence Heart Institute. The long-term impact will depend on the hospital’s ability to integrate care across specialties and its success in addressing the complex health needs of women in the region.