hero3x

About Us

Northwestern Memorial Foundation is dedicated to supporting the patient-centered care and strategic goals of Northwestern Medicine. With donations from generous people like you, we provide financial resources to the renowned nonprofit academic health system, including 11 Northwestern Medicine hospitals and more than 200 other care sites. Your gift helps ensure that people from Chicagoland and around the globe have access to world-class physicians, leading-edge research, groundbreaking innovations and state-of-the-art facilities.

Give Now

Northwestern Memorial Foundation Leadership Team

Professional headshot of Jason Baxendale.

Jason Baxendale, Senior Vice President of Philanthropy


Jason Baxendale joined Northwestern Memorial Foundation in 2024 to lead efforts to fund the health system’s mission. In his role, he connects donors and families with physicians and teams who can help them develop and achieve their shared vision. Baxendale has dedicated more than 20 years of his career to helping philanthropists collaborate with leading minds in community service, medicine, innovation and clinical research.
Professional headshot of Michael Ruchim, MD.

Michael A. Ruchim, MD, Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs


Michael A. Ruchim, MD, advises the foundation regarding research and patient care initiatives, and leads its Benefactor Relations Program. A practicing board-certified gastroenterologist with more than 20 years of experience, Dr. Ruchim also helps train medical students, residents and fellows as a clinical associate professor of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He was named a Top Doctor by U.S. News and World Report in 2023.

DONOR STORY

Steve G.

Steve Gavers was just 32 when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. The diagnosis affected him both physically and mentally.

"A cancer diagnosis can be traumatic, and I felt like I was in limbo for several years. But I had survived, and I knew I wanted to do something to help people," says Gavers, who lives in McHenry County, where he grew up. "I started by getting a group of trusted friends together."

Those friends eventually became the founding board members of the Gavers Community Cancer Foundation. Since 2000, the foundation has given more than $9.1 million to cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment, including $2.5 million to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital and Northwestern Medicine Gavers Breast Center.

Northwestern Medicine donors sitting for a photo.

Community, Diversity and Inclusion, and Workforce Development

TEAM NM volunteers cleaning up a public space.

Community Impact

We express our deep commitment to our Chicagoland neighbors through the funding of programs that improve access to care and address health disparities in the communities we serve.

Woman wearing scrubs

Diversity and Inclusion

We support equity by funding programs that help Northwestern Medicine deliver individualized, culturally responsive and equitable care that meets the needs of our diverse patient population.

workforce-dev

Workforce Development

We strive to recruit and retain a workforce as diverse as the patients we serve. We support scholarship opportunities and community programs to attract more people to healthcare careers, and we always aim to prioritize employee well-being and belonging.

Community Collaborators

Northwestern Memorial Foundation is grateful to collaborate with outstanding organizations, including the ones featured below, to advance the patient-centered mission of Northwestern Medicine.


The Woman’s Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital

The Woman’s Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital is one of Chicago’s oldest charitable organizations, helping support Northwestern Medicine for more than 125 years. Its faithful membership has donated millions of dollars in gifts, grants and volunteer hours to a wide range of programs that enhance the health, well-being and quality of life of patients, families and community members. 


The Women’s Board of Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital

Since 1946, The Women’s Board of Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital has supported Northwestern Medicine through fundraising, volunteerism, education and advocacy. More than 100 active, honorary and sustaining members volunteer in nearly all Lake Forest Hospital departments, contributing more than 10,000 hours of service to the hospital each year.

Contact

833.GIFT.NMF (833.443.8663)
giving@nm.org
541 North Fairbanks Court, Suite 800
Chicago, Illinois 60611