Learn more about Alfred I. and Jessie Ball duPont, and the impact the Trust continues to enable, in the timeline below.
1935
Upon the death of Mr. duPont, the Alfred I. duPont Charitable Trust is created to maintain his estate in perpetuity and execute his vision of healthier lives for children around the world.
1936
The Nemours Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted to the health of children, is incorporated in Florida.
1940
The Nemours Foundation opens its first healthcare facility for children — the Alfred I. duPont Institute — on the grounds of the The Nemours Estate® in Wilmington, Delaware.
1960
By the 1960s, under the direction of famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. Alfred R. Shands Jr., Nemours Children’s Health has become world-renowned for medicine and research in the field of pediatric orthopedics.
1971
After the death of Mr. duPont’s wife, Jessie Ball duPont, the annual income to The Nemours Foundation from the Trust significantly increases.
1976
The Nemours Foundation Board expands the health system’s mission to treat a greater range of childhood diseases.
1981
Nemours Children’s purchases the Hope Haven Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. Also in 1981, Nemours SeniorCare is established to provide health services to low-income seniors throughout Delaware.
1984
The 800,000-square-foot Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware opens adjacent to the original Alfred I. duPont Institute in Wilmington.
1995
The Nemours Center for Children’s Health Media creates the award-winning KidsHealth.org, offering millions of parents, kids and teens trusted health information from leading pediatric experts.
1996
Additional Nemours Children’s Clinics are established in Delaware and in Pensacola and Orlando, Florida, all staffed by Nemours Children’s physicians and surgeons, but collaborating with local hospitals.
2002
The Nemours Foundation’s mission expands to add “leadership” as part of its purpose and delete limiting words like “acute” and “chronic.” To support the expanded mission, Nemours Health & Prevention Services is chartered to promote holistic health, beginning in Delaware.
2008
The Trust moves into its permanent headquarters on the St. Johns River in Mr. duPont’s adopted hometown of Jacksonville, Florida.
2012
The 630,000-square-foot Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, Florida opens its doors, making Nemours Children’s the only pediatric health system in the nation with two freestanding children’s hospitals.
2019
The 40,000 square-foot Cardiac Center at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida opens. Also in 2019, the Hospital welcomes its first-ever class of pediatric residents.
2021
Nemours Children’s launches a new brand, “Well Beyond Medicine,” reflecting its bold strategy to redefine children’s health.
Impact
We are assisting Nemours Children’s Health in becoming the national leader in pediatric outcomes and making healthier lives for children a reality.
