Celtics give $200 million to Boston Children's. What the hospital pays the city, and a PILOT hearing that has waited since February

The Boston Celtics' ownership group, the team and its charitable arm, the Shamrock Foundation, are giving $200 million to Boston Children's Hospital, the largest gift in the hospital's history, WBUR reported Thursday. The first priority is a new pediatric mental health facility for children in crisis, now under construction in Brighton. The money will also support research, an innovation fund, nurse training and family programs.

Hospital president Dr. Ryan Nagy said the gift is meant to "catalyze reaching as many children as possible," according to WBUR. Majority owner Bill Chisholm called it a commitment "to the next generation in Boston and far beyond."

For Boston residents, the hospital is also a major tax-exempt property owner. Here is what city records show about its relationship with City Hall.

What our records add

PILOT payments. Tax-exempt hospitals and universities are asked to make voluntary payments in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, to the city. In fiscal 2025, the city asked Boston Children's for $10,250,257, based on property it valued at about $1.15 billion, according to the city's FY25 PILOT recap. The hospital received a community benefits credit of $7,687,693 and paid $2,186,243 in cash. The city counts the request as 100% met; the recap notes that the hospital also receives credit for property taxes it pays on property that could qualify for exemption.

Across all medical institutions, the city collected 88% of what it asked for, and across all institutions, 76%, the recap shows. The Boston Globe reported in April that payments stayed flat overall.

A hearing that has not happened. City Councilor Sharon Durkan, whose district includes the Longwood Medical Area, filed an order for a hearing to evaluate the progress and impact of the PILOT program (docket 0288). It went to the Committee on PILOT Agreements, Institutional and Intergovernmental Relations on Feb. 4 and has waited 270 days, with no hearing reported in our records.

Grants from the hospital to the city. The council has accepted grants from Boston Children's twice this year:

• $50,000 for the Office of Human Services in January, to train more lifeguards for an autism swim program and hold water safety events at BCYF pools (docket 0138).
• $200,000 in September for the Office of Early Childhood's programs and a child entrepreneur fund (docket 1679). The order was first sent to committee, then reconsidered and passed the same day.

These grants and the PILOT figures are reported side by side for context. They are separate from the Celtics gift.

Children's mental health. The council has open requests on crisis response. City Councilor Miniard Culpepper filed orders in May for hearings on a community-based mental health crisis response pilot (docket 1001) and on support for first responders and dispatchers in mental health calls (docket 1000). Both have been in the Public Health, Homelessness and Recovery Committee for 172 days. City Councilor Julia Mejia (at-large) has an order pending since February to audit mental health curriculum and services in Boston Public Schools (docket 0278).

What's next

The city usually releases its PILOT results each spring; the fiscal 2026 figures would be expected in 2027. WBUR did not report a completion date for the Brighton facility.