As university ombuds, Eliane Markoff is an important resource for the Bentley community, providing faculty and staff with an informal and impartial place to resolve conflicts and address challenging situations in a constructive manner. Beyond Bentley, Markoff has helped raise more than $2 million as co-founder of Art in Giving, a nonprofit organization that raises funds for childhood cancer research. 

Recently featured in The Boston Globe, Art in Giving was founded by Markoff and her husband, Gary, in memory of their daughter, Rachel Molly Markoff, who passed away in 1992 at the age of 9 after being diagnosed with brain cancer. “We wanted to keep Rachel’s memory alive,” said Markoff. “The foundation gave us a way to do that while giving hope to others affected by pediatric cancer.”

The foundation uses a unique fundraising approach, where businesses can purchase or rent pieces of art from Art in Giving to decorate office buildings or rental spaces. The foundation collects 50% of the proceeds; the other half goes directly to the artist.

Markoff herself began painting in the years after Rachel’s passing. Using proceeds from the sale of her artwork, she would make contributions in Rachel’s memory to pediatric cancer research. With a studio in Boston, she was no stranger to the community of local artists.

“When artists found out about Rachel’s story through my work, they would come up to me saying they’d be happy to donate their own art to also raise funds for cancer research,” said Markoff. “Gary and I put together a small business plan and began approaching companies to see if commercial spaces would be interested in purchasing art to benefit cancer research.”

In time, Art in Giving was created, with a logo featuring three flowers and the sun based on one of Rachel’s drawings from a visit to Dana Farber and the Jimmy Fund Clinic. The organization was successful in raising funds early in its founding, but made a significant step forward when the chairman of the board at Sanofi Genzyme received a piece of art from the organization as a gift.

“The chairman of the board was so moved by Rachel’s story and the founding of Art in Giving that he bought all of the paintings that we had for Sanofi’s new building on Memorial Drive,” she explained. “He bought 42 paintings from us, and they’re still in the building today.”

In addition to Sanofi Genzyme, Art in Giving has partnered with BioMed Realty and Alexandria Real Estate to decorate their properties across Greater Boston, helping to spread the word of the organization’s mission. Of special note: Bentley alumnus and senior vice president of development at BioMed Realty, Salvatore Zinno, MBA ’10, is responsible for bringing Art in Giving to his company, and has since become a member of the nonprofit’s advisory board. With Salvatore’s support, BioMed Realty has furnished three life-science office buildings in Cambridge with paintings from Art in Giving. 

With the funds raised from their art sales, Art in Giving has made significant contributions to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Children’s Hospital, Yale University School of Medicine and Mass General Hospital, among many others. Quoted in The Boston Globe, Markoff expressed hope that new businesses will partner with Art in Giving to continue raising funds toward its mission. “We’re glad to have this visibility and hope that it will help us to raise more money for important research.” 

With their proven, creative approach to fundraising, the Markoffs are doing incredible work to honor Rachel’s memory and legacy, all while helping other families find hope when faced with a pediatric cancer diagnosis.