$12.5 million gift from Markey Cancer Foundation will support Markey Cancer Center’s mission, priorities
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 19, 2026) — The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Foundation has announced a $12.5 million gift — a $12 million endowed fund and a $500,000 nonendowed fund — to support the priorities of the UK Markey Cancer Center and the UK College of Medicine. The gift was approved Feb. 19 by the health care committee of the UK Board of Trustees and is pending full board approval.
“The Markey Cancer Foundation is more committed than ever in supporting UK and the Markey Cancer Center in caring for patients, educating future health care providers and investing in the investigation of new innovative therapies and groundbreaking research,” said Alex Boone, chair of the Markey Cancer Foundation and member of the UK Board of Trustees. “Today’s announcement of $12.5 million in funding for Markey is a significant step in ensuring this critical work being done can continue to have an impact on the health of Kentuckians for generations to come.”
The Markey Cancer Foundation Board recently completed a study evaluating how fundraising operations between the foundation and UK’s Office of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement could be more integrated to strengthen long-term support for the Markey Cancer Center’s mission. This work focused on ensuring strategic alignment, enhancing efficiency and positioning both organizations to better serve the needs of the cancer center moving forward.
As part of this effort, the Markey Cancer Foundation Board voted to endow a significant portion of its assets for the benefit of the Markey Cancer Center through the gift announced today. This endowed fund will be held in perpetuity and dedicated solely to supporting Markey’s critical work in research, education and clinical care — ensuring lasting, mission-focused impact for generations to come.
“For nearly 50 years, the Markey Cancer Foundation has been an incredible partner in advancing cancer research and care in Kentucky,” said Markey Cancer Center Director B. Mark Evers, M.D. “I’m deeply grateful to the foundation’s board and all the donors who have supported this work. This generous gift honors that legacy and will advance our ability to continue delivering the highest level of treatment and discovery right here in the Commonwealth.”
UK and the Markey Cancer Foundation share a long-standing commitment to advancing cancer research, education and patient care. Since its founding in 1978, the foundation has raised more than $110 million in philanthropic support for the Markey Cancer Center — the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Kentucky. This funding has supported research grants, endowed positions for leading researchers and clinicians, capital projects and facilities, and initiatives that strengthen cancer research, education and patient care.
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns and the region’s only Level 1 trauma center.
As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the health care landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.