Taylor Swift has made a recent gift to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt to support the hospital’s greatest needs as well as an additional gift to the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Program.
Taylor’s gifts will give leadership at Tennessee’s largest pediatric hospital the flexibility to meet emerging needs as they arise and focus on areas that will make the biggest impact on the growing number of patients and families.
Taylor is an award-winning singer and songwriter, and in 2024 she became the first, and only artist ever, to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year four times. She is no stranger to Monroe Carell. Taylor was on hand in 2016 to help open Seacrest Studios, the multimedia broadcast studio within the hospital, and has visited patients and families in the past on Christmas Eve.
Monroe Carell — Middle Tennessee’s only freestanding children’s hospital as well as the region’s only comprehensive, nonprofit pediatric health care provider — serves more than 1,800 children and families daily.
The tremendous population growth across Middle Tennessee has meant continued, increased demand for pediatric health care services. Monroe Carell now has a footprint of more than 1 million square feet and 363 beds.
“We are so grateful to Taylor Swift for her generous gifts to Monroe Carell. She is a true partner as we strive to provide a brighter, healthier future for the children and communities we serve,” said Juan C. Salazar, MD, MPH, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt Health, system pediatrician-in-chief for Monroe Carell, and James C. Overall Professor.
“These gifts are so timely — of course, it is the holiday season, when a hospital stay is especially tough. And we are also seeing continued increases in the number of patients and families who turn to us for care. This makes a difference for us all.”
Taylor’s gift to the AYA Cancer Program, which addresses the unique needs of patients with cancer between the ages of 15-25, will continue to support the integrated and highly specialized care that crosses the adult and pediatric disciplines of medicine.
“The future of adolescent and young adult cancer research and care is full of progress and possibilities because of the generosity of donors like Taylor Swift,” said Debra Friedman, MD, MS, director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Monroe Carell and holder of the E. Bronson Ingram Chair in Pediatric Oncology. “Her gift enables our teams to personalize cancer care for the unique challenges these patients face, leading to improved outcomes.”
The hospital is encouraging fans and supporters to “join Taylor” in contributing to support patients and families at Give.VanderbiltHealth.org/children
For the fourth year in a row, Monroe Carell earned the distinction of being a Leapfrog Top Hospital for 2025, reaffirming the hospital’s leadership in safety and quality nationwide. One of only 15 children’s hospitals to receive the Top Hospitals designation, the distinction adds to Monroe Carell’s impressive performance-based honors for 2025. Earlier this year, U.S. News & World Report ranked Monroe Carell among the nation’s Best Children’s Hospitals, naming it the No. 1 children’s hospital in Tennessee and tied for first in the Southeast.
