SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. University of California San Francisco (UCSF) announced Thursday a new massive donation worth 500 million U.S. dollars from its long-time benefactor to build a world-class hospital before 2030.
UCSF said it has received the donation from the Helen Diller Family Foundation to support the construction of the new hospital at the University's historic Parnassus Heights campus.
The commitment will allow UCSF to begin the extensive planning process for an energy-efficient, seismically sound, and environmentally sustainable hospital, which is expected to open before 2030, UCSF said in a statement.
"This incredible commitment sets the stage for a 21st century hospital that will play a critical role in patient care for San Franciscans and our community, as well as patients from around the nation and the globe," said UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood.
The hospital will be a key part of UCSF Health, a growing regional health system that includes UCSF Medical Center, the top-ranked hospital in California and among the top five across the country.
The latest donation from the Helen Diller Foundation brought the foundation's total commitment to 1.15 billion dollars, making the Diller family among a handful of U.S. philanthropists who have given 1 billion dollars or more to a single academic institution.
Helen Diller, a native of San Francisco and one of the alumni of UC Berkeley, died in 2015.
The Helen Diller Family Foundation was established in 1999 to support Jewish causes, education, science and arts largely in San Francisco Bay area.