Carilion gets $500K grant for proton therapy campaign

The Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia has awarded the Carilion Clinic Foundation a $500,000 grant to be used toward a $50 million fundraising campaign to bring proton therapy to the Carilion Taubman Cancer Center, according to a Tuesday announcement.

“We are grateful to the Community Foundation and its many donors for their generosity that will benefit thousands of patients each year,” Mike Abbott, president of Carilion Medical Center, said in a statement. “With the support of dedicated partners like the Community Foundation, we can ensure our patients have access to the most advanced cancer care close to home.”

There are fewer than 50 proton therapy centers in the United States. In Virginia, the treatment is offered at the Hampton University Proton Cancer Institute and the Inova Mather Proton Therapy Center in Fairfax.

“Proton therapy is the most precise form of radiation available today,” Dr. Tony Seupaul, Carilion’s chief physician executive, explained Oct. 28, 2025, when announcing the campaign.  “[Allowing] our clinicians to destroy cancer cells with pinpoint accuracy for those with tumors near delicate structures like the brain, spine or heart, and especially for children who need highly specialized treatment, we can treat cancer aggressively while protecting healthy tissue.”

The 260,000-square-foot Carilion Taubman Cancer Center is currently under construction in Roanoke and expected to open in 2028. In October 2025, the Roanoke-based health system announced it had exceeded a $100 million campaign for the facility by more than $5 million.

In 2024, former Advance Auto Parts CEO Nicholas Taubman, a past U.S. ambassador to Romania, and his wife, Jenny, gave $25 million to the center, which is named in their honor. The following year, Carilion announced the Taubmans had given an additional $17.5 million lead gift to bring proton therapy to the facility.

Established in 1988, the Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia serves the cities of Martinsville, Roanoke and Salem and the counties of Botetourt, Craig, Franklin, Henry, Patrick and Roanoke.

Encompassing nearly 400 funds, the Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia has awarded more than $75 million in grants.

“This grant represents a significant investment in the health and future of Southwest Virginia, and the Community Foundation is honored to support a project that will bring lifesaving research and technology to the people who need it most,” Michelle Eberly, the foundation’s director of grants and donor engagement, said in a statement.