The History of the Trust
Alfred I. duPont was one of America's major turn-of-the-century philanthropists and left behind a lasting legacy of serving the needy. His vision and compassion have given hundreds of thousands of sick children the hope of realizing their own possibilities.
In his will, Alfred I duPont wrote: "It has been my firm conviction throughout life that it is the duty of everyone in the world to do what is within his power to alleviate human suffering. It is, therefore, natural that I should desire after having made provision for the immediate members of my family and others whom I have seen fit to remember, that the remaining portion of my estate be utilized for charitable needs."
Specifically, Mr. duPont's will provided for his estate to be left intact as a charitable trust for the establishment of a foundation for the treatment of curable crippled children or for the benefit of the elderly. The Trust was created in 1935 and The Nemours Foundation was formed thereafter. In 1940, the Alfred I. duPont Institute was opened as the first children's health outreach initiative of the Foundation funded by the Trust.
Today, The Nemours Foundation includes the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, four Nemours Children's Clinics in Delaware and Florida, Nemours Health and Prevention Services and the Nemours Health Clinic, duPont's last legacy of health service to the elderly in Delaware.
