The Marcus Foundation has donated $28.7 million to the University of Southern California to fund clinical trials for stem cell-based heart attack treatments, according to statements released by the philanthropic organization. Bernie Marcus, the billionaire cofounder of Home Depot who died in November 2024 at age 95 with an estimated net worth of $11 billion, established the foundation with his wife, Billi, in 1989. The multi-million dollar gift aims to support Dr. Chuck Murry, director of the USC Stem Cell Center, as his team advances gene-edited cellular therapy designed to regenerate damaged heart tissue following a cardiovascular event.
The Evolution of Marcus Foundation Medical Philanthropy
According to Jonathan Simons, chief science officer of The Marcus Foundation, researchers have pushed gene-edited cellular therapy to a stage where living medicine can become a viable form of treatment. The grant stands as the largest contribution the foundation has ever made to USC and ranks among its largest commitments to academic medicine. This latest funding follows a $25.9 million donation in 2024 directed toward stroke research at the Emory University School of Medicine and Grady Health System’s Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center, alongside a $20 million gift in 2019 to establish a Department of Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences at Jefferson’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College.
Since its inception, the Marcus Foundation has granted more than $2.7 billion across more than 3,500 grants. While the foundation supports Jewish causes, free enterprise, veterans, and children’s welfare, biomedical research remains a core pillar. The organization concentrates its medical funding on five specific sectors: stem cell research and regenerative medicine, early cancer detection and treatment, autism diagnosis and treatment, integrative medicine, and cardiovascular disease, which includes stroke research.
Pro Tip: Strategic philanthropy often relies on strict focus areas rather than a dispersed giving model. According to statements from foundation trustees, narrowing the scope of charitable contributions prevents organizations from overgiving and underachieving.
From Pharmacy Roots to Home Depot Success
Bernie Marcus originally dreamed of becoming a doctor, but financial constraints prevented his family from sending him to medical school, according to a memoir published by Home Depot. He enrolled in pharmacy school instead, paying his way by selling Amana freezers door-to-door while studying at Rutgers University. After graduating, he climbed the corporate ladder in various manufacturing companies before reaching a turning point in 1978, when he was fired from Handy Dan, a defunct home improvement chain. That termination catalyzed the founding of Home Depot, which grew into a $343 billion enterprise.
Despite building a retail empire, Marcus maintained a lifelong connection to medicine through his philanthropy. His early grants included roughly $110,000 for Emory’s Egleston Children’s Research. He also provided initial funding to launch Autism Speaks in 2005, and financed the construction of the Marcus Autism Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center at Grady, and the Marcus Institute for Brain Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, an institution dedicated to treating veterans and retired athletes suffering from traumatic brain injuries.
Disciplined Giving Strategy
The foundation’s structured approach to grantmaking stems from Marcus’s personal philosophy on philanthropy. In a 2012 interview with Philanthropy Roundtable, Marcus explained that he deliberately moved away from a scattershot method of donating. “We decided to narrow the field to those things that I was really, truly interested in,” he said at the time.
Mike Leven, a trustee for the Marcus Foundation, noted that managing incoming requests requires immense discipline. “People are coming at you all the time, good people with good causes,” Leven said. “Unless you discipline yourself, you’re going to overgive and underachieve. Bernie’s better at it than anybody I know.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Marcus Foundation?
Established in 1989 by Bernie and Billi Marcus, the Marcus Foundation is a philanthropic organization that has granted over $2.7 billion toward medical research, veterans’ welfare, education, and Jewish causes.
How much did the Marcus Foundation donate to USC?
The foundation donated $28.7 million to Dr. Chuck Murry at the University of Southern California Stem Cell Center to advance clinical trials for stem cell-based heart attack therapies.
What are the primary focus areas of the foundation?
The foundation focuses heavily on biomedical research, specifically stem cell research and regenerative medicine, early cancer detection, autism diagnosis and treatment, integrative medicine, and cardiovascular disease.
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