Peter Huntsman, CEO of the Huntsman Foundation and chairman and CEO of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation (HCF), announced on January 11, 2019, a transformational $30 million gift from the family’s foundation. This donation allows Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah to better plan for and address the future needs of cancer patients in the Mountain West. The gift is in addition to the $40 million already raised by HCF to support the construction of the Kathryn F. Kirk Center for Comprehensive Cancer Care and Women’s Cancers at HCI.

The gift will allow the planned HCI expansion to grow from 102,000 square feet of new space to 200,000 square feet, and from four to eight stories. Since the initial announcement of this new expansion, the Huntsman family has worked in cooperation with the U and U of U Health to address HCI’s longer-term needs.

After a Huntsman Foundation board meeting, members unanimously decided to commit further resources for additional capabilities. “My mother Karen, our family foundation’s chairwoman, my siblings, and I are honored to continue to invest in the future of HCI. Combined with the more than one million donors who help support this globally recognized institute, we are committed to eradicating this disease,” said Huntsman.

Susan Sheehan, president and COO of HCF, noted, “The Huntsman family has once again extended immense generosity and kindness to help our community in an area of critical need. As it has done since HCI’s founding in 1993, the family is looking toward the future and anticipating ways they can offer hope and optimism in the face of this dreaded disease. We are very grateful for the family’s vision and loyal support.”

Other major donors to the expansion are the Spencer and Kristen Kirk family, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and dōTerra International.

The major expansion of HCI is projected to cost $129 million, of which more than $70 million will come from philanthropic funds. The new patient care facility will include four floors of clinical space, an expanded wellness center, two floors to house faculty offices, and two floors available for future build-out based on cancer patient needs. Pending final approval by state and university entities, construction is slated to begin in December 2019 and the building is anticipated to open to patients in September 2022.