Gift Announcements > Marriott Foundations

Marriott Foundations

$100 million gift to Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester. to transform healthcare

By Mayo Clinic

For generations, the Marriott family’s relationship with Mayo Clinic has been shaped by personal experiences as patients, a shared commitment to compassion and a deep belief in Mayo Clinic’s core value to put the needs of patients first. Over decades, those experiences formed a relationship grounded in trust, gratitude and service.

A defining moment in the relationship began in 1962, when Bill and Donna Marriott sought care at Mayo Clinic for their daughter, Debbie, who at five years old was facing a severe congenital heart condition. At the time, open-heart surgery using a cardiopulmonary bypass (a heart-lung machine) was an emerging medical technology. Not only did the treatment save Debbie's life, but the care team's expertise, compassion and dedication also helped forge an enduring bond between the Marriotts and Mayo Clinic.

Today, Debbie Marriott Harrison also credits Mayo Clinic for lifesaving care as an adult, as she has faced thyroid cancer and lymphoma. Through these and other experiences, the family continues to support the institution's vision for patient-centered care.

Mayo Clinic recently announced a $100 million gift from The Bill and Donna Marriott Foundation and The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation to support Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester, Mayo Clinic’s $5 billion investment in transforming healthcare through integrated digital and physical spaces.

In recognition of their generous gift, Mayo Clinic will name the Marriott Family Atrium, a defining space at the heart of the reimagined downtown Rochester campus. Scheduled for completion in 2030, the expansive, two-story atrium will be filled with natural light and serve as a welcoming place for tens of thousands of patients, visitors and staff who come to Mayo Clinic each day. The Marriott Family Atrium will connect the new downtown campus and offer a hopeful sanctuary for patients and families to experience moments of compassion, healing and renewal throughout their care journeys.

Over the course of several decades, the Marriotts have deepened their relationship with Mayo Clinic through personal experiences as patients, dedicated service to Mayo Clinic's Board of Trustees, active advocacy and generous philanthropic support — which has helped shape and inspire Mayo Clinic's patient-centered vision for the future.

"Our family's relationship with Mayo Clinic has always been personal," says Bill Marriott. "We have seen firsthand how Mayo changes lives, and it is our privilege to help make that care available to more patients, now and in the future."

The Marriott foundations’ generous contribution to Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester – and the Marriott Family Atrium located in the future Waterman Building – builds on a shared commitment to hospitality and patient-centered care. The support will help transform both the physical and digital patient experience, speed medical discoveries and cures, and deliver continuous, personalized care to patients around the world.

The family's gift is a collaboration between two foundations: The Bill and Donna Marriott Foundation and The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. Bill Marriott and Dick Marriott, the sons of J. Willard Sr. and Alice S. Marriott, have long stewarded their parents' legacy and values through philanthropy.

The Marriotts are extraordinary advocates for and partners with Mayo Clinic. Their dedication to healthcare transformation through philanthropy and service reflects the values they share with Mayo Clinic, and we are truly grateful for their long-standing friendship and support.
— Gianrico Farrugia, M.D.

"The Marriotts are extraordinary advocates for and partners with Mayo Clinic," says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., Mayo Clinic’s president and CEO. "Their dedication to healthcare transformation through philanthropy and service reflects the values they share with Mayo Clinic, and we are truly grateful for their long-standing friendship and support."

The Marriotts' philanthropic contributions have also propelled Mayo Clinic research focused on cardiovascular disease, bipolar disorder and mitochondrial disease. In addition, their generosity has advanced initiatives in individualized medicine and regenerative biotherapeutics and has endowed positions named in honor of their family members.

Mayo Clinic recognizes Bill and Donna Marriott, The Bill and Donna Marriott Foundation, and The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation as Philanthropic Partners, its highest level of distinction for benefactors.

The late Donna Marriott passed away Dec. 30, 2025, at age 90. A lifelong advocate and volunteer, she was appointed a Kennedy Center trustee by President George W. Bush and dedicated 55 years of service to the American Heart Association.

Bill Marriott is executive chairman emeritus of Marriott International, Inc., a global lodging company of more than 30 leading brands. He joined Marriott Corporation in 1956 and became CEO in 1972, a position he held for 40 years. He is also an emeritus member of the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees and served as its chairman during Mayo Clinic’s first philanthropic campaign, which successfully concluded in 2009.

Dick Marriott is chairman of the board of Host Hotels & Resorts, the largest lodging real estate investment trust in the U.S. In addition to serving as chair of The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, he and his wife, Nancy Marriott, have made significant gifts in the areas of healthcare, the arts and early childhood education.