Children's Hospital Foundation

Children's Hospital Foundation

Led by Chairman Coleman Wortham III, a principal at Davenport & Company, the Children's Hospital Foundation operates as the philanthropic engine for Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. The foundation traces its community roots in Richmond, Virginia, directing donor capital exclusively to the hospital's pediatric mission. That mission covers a wide spectrum of clinical needs, from routine primary care to highly specialized services in neurosurgery, congenital heart surgery, hematology/oncology, and neonatology. The foundation's deployment model is singular: capital raised flows directly into clinical infrastructure and programmatic support for a single beneficiary hospital system. A recent $100 million capital campaign financed the Children's Tower at 1000 E. Broad Street, a dedicated pediatric facility that opened as the centerpiece of the hospital's physical expansion. Key donors include Capital Square, whose name adorns an elevator bank in the Tower, and Estes Express Lines, which committed $2 million toward the project via the Estes family. The foundation also stewards a portfolio of commercial real estate assets — including the Children's Pavilion and Brook Road Campus — that directly support the hospital's operational footprint. Geographic reach extends across Central Virginia and beyond, reflecting the hospital's role as a regional referral center. The foundation's operational scale is expressed through its auxiliary boards and community partnerships rather than publicly disclosed financial statements. The Junior Board runs the annual fundraising Ball, while the Senior Board organizes the Words & Wisdom event. Partnerships with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Richmond embed family amenities within the Children's Tower, and the Beyond the Diagnosis art collection occupies the Tower's Sky Lobby. A recent operational milestone: the Children's Tower opened and began serving patients, marking the physical completion of years of systematic capital raising. The foundation's structural differentiator lies in its single-asset focus. Unlike diversified endowments, every dollar raised and every real estate asset held serves one pediatric hospital system. Governance flows through a Chairman whose professional background in wealth management at Davenport & Company directly informs the foundation's relationships with high-net-worth donors and corporate partners, creating a tight coupling between regional wealth networks and pediatric healthcare delivery.