Landmark Gift Shows Again That Eagles Jeffrey Lurie Is An Owner With A Heart

Jeffrey Lurie has once again demonstrated that he is an owner with a heart, a winner who has not only delivered the best era of Philadelphia Eagles football. producing countless wins, playoff victories, and a pair of Super Bowls, but off the field with his tireless fundraising for autism research.

It was announced on Tuesday that the Eagles' owner will donate $50 million to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Penn Medicine to create the Lurie Autism Institute. The institute will drive discoveries with transformative impact for those living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is the single largest donation to U.S. academic medical centers focused on autism research across the lifespan.

“We established the Lurie Autism Institute to spark a new era of scientific discovery in autism,” Lurie said in a press release. “CHOP and Penn Medicine bring unmatched expertise and a proven record of innovation, and together, they have the tools to unlock answers that have eluded the field for far too long. By investing in cutting-edge science and the infrastructure to move it forward, we’re aiming not just to understand autism more deeply—but to transform what’s possible for individuals and families worldwide.”

Over 75 million people worldwide are living with ASD, including one in 31 children and one in 45 adults in the U.S.

Lurie established his Eagles Autism Foundation in 2018. The 8th annual Eagles Autism Challenge was held in May and over eight years has raised more than $40 million for autism research.

“This gift will harness our longstanding, combined expertise to advance much-needed research to help people with autism spectrum disorder,” Jonathan A. Epstein, MD, Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System said in a press release.

“The Lurie Family’s commitment to this critical area of focus is inspiring, and we greatly appreciate the trust placed in us as we accelerate the next generation of ASD research and treatment.”

An international search will soon be underway to appoint the Institute’s founding director - a visionary leader with clinical and scientific expertise who will help drive its innovative mission forward.

“The Lurie Autism Institute will enable us to find quicker and better answers for children and adults living with this complex condition,” said Madeline Bell, CEO of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, in a press release. “We are so grateful to the Lurie Family for their ongoing support of autism research, which will build on the success of established programs like the Center for Autism Research at CHOP and the Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence at Penn by bringing the top experts in the field together to make breakthroughs in autism research and care.”