Major benefactors of Georgetown University donated $10 million to the university, to be equally divided between MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Georgetown Entrepreneurship, the university announced Sept. 10.
The donors — Ted Leonsis (CAS ’77), his wife Lynn Leonsis and their children Zach Leonsis (GRD ’15) and Elle Leonsis (COL ’14) — are longtime contributors of the university: in 2016, they established the Leonsis Family Entrepreneurship Prize, awarded annually to the winners of the “Bark Tank” competition. The $5 million allocated to Georgetown Entrepreneurship will continue to fund the prize and the Leonsis Venture Lab, a workspace near the Capitol Campus that helps graduate entrepreneurs develop start-up businesses.
(Courtesy of Georgetown University)
Ted Leonsis said the donation is rooted in the university’s growth mindset.
“Georgetown has been very meaningful to me in my life and career, very meaningful to my family,” Leonsis said in the university’s announcement. “The university is teaching students to look at the world critically, to leave it better than they found it. I think having that growth mindset is really important. I’m very proud of what we’ve done with Bark Tank, and what’s happening at the business school in general.”
Jeff Reid, the founding director of Georgetown Entrepreneurship, said the donation will create more security for the program.
“The Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative has a lot of programs, but we do not have a lot of long-term funding, so every year we have to raise more money to continue to do the things we’re already doing and to try to grow,” Reid told The Hoya. “To have a major gift that allows us to have security in some of our major programs was just a wonderful feeling.”
William Hansen (MSB ’25), a student associate for Georgetown Entrepreneurship, said the donation will help promote student entrepreneurship.
“I’m really excited about the Leonsis family’s donation and the amazing support it will give to startups and student entrepreneurs coming out of Georgetown over the next few years,” Hansen wrote to The Hoya.
Furthermore, the $5 million dedicated to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital will support pediatric resources in the newly constructed Verstandig Pavilion, including funding for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the only Level IV NICU in Washington, D.C., providing the highest level of care in the area. The gift also supports the helipad, which enables direct access to the operating rooms, emergency department, NICU and other pediatric areas.
Ken Samet, president and CEO of MedStar Health, said the donation will help people throughout the region receive better care.
“We are grateful to the Leonsis family for caring so deeply for people they will likely never get to meet,” Samet said in the announcement. “Our patients for generations to come will benefit from this act of generosity and the commitment to the region. The medicine, teaching and research happening here will be enriched with this gift that will serve as a special part of the Leonsis family legacy.”
The donation also helps fund the Kids Mobile Medical Clinic, which provides care to children across Wards 5, 6, 7 and 8 regardless of their family’s insurance status.
Dr. Janine Rethy, Division Chief of Community Pediatrics at MedStar Health, emphasized that the donation will enhance the clinic’s ability to serve communities throughout D.C.
“The Kids Mobile Medical Clinic brings high quality, holistic, caring healthcare directly into neighborhoods where families live,” Rethy said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to provide accessible and convenient care to our families in the District for another three decades and beyond.”
Ted Leonsis emphasized the nuanced nature of philanthropy, stressing the importance and profound value of actively engaging with beneficiaries of charitable contributions.
“I think philanthropy is sometimes misunderstood. It’s not just about writing checks,” Leonsis said in the announcement. “It needs to be multidimensional: mentoring students, providing internships, hiring graduates, finding kids like me and supporting them. That’s smart, entrepreneurial philanthropy.”
