Edwards Lifesciences (Irvine, California) celebrated its five-year anniversary Monday as a publicly traded company. As part of its celebration, the company announced the creation of the new philanthropic Edwards Lifesciences Fund.

Edwards Lifesciences was originally established in the late 1950s as Edwards Laboratories, was acquired and ultimately spun off from Baxter International on April 3, 2000.

The company said it chose the fifth anniversary of its spin-off to announce the creation of the new fund, a donor-advised fund intended to provide philanthropic support to cardiovascular-related charitable causes that advance knowledge in the field and improve patient quality of life. The company financed the fund with an initial $5 million contribution and said it plans to award its first charitable grants later this year.