Tom Golisano gives $253M to 6 children’s hospitals: 'Legacy of healing'

Businessman and philanthropist Tom Golisano has supported children’s hospitals and health programs for years, but he’s now taken his efforts to a different level.

Businessman and philanthropist Tom Golisano has donated $253 million to six children's hospitals. His foundation has also announced the creation of a network of pediatric health systems with the goal of expanding care.

Golisano has announced contributions of $253 million to six pediatric hospitals around the country. In some cases, the health systems receiving the grants said they represented the largest philanthropic contributions they had ever received.His philanthropic organization, the Golisano Foundation, announced the contributions Tuesday.

The foundation also unveiled the formation of the Golisano Children’s Alliance, which is aimed at improving pediatric care and offering more services closer to home. Golisano also indicated that he would be providing more support to the alliance in the future to ensure its success.

The new alliance includes 10 children’s hospitals, including four facilities that have been supported by the foundation previously.

The foundation announced donations to these six children’s hospitals:

• Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Hartford, Conn. ($50 million);
• Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, Hershey, Penn. ($50 million);
• University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital, Lexington, Ky. ($50 million);
• University of Maryland Children’s Hospital, Baltimore ($50 million);
• University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, Burlington, Vt. ($25 million);
• WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital, Morgantown, W. Va. ($28 million)

Golisano, the founder of Paychex, Inc., has now given out more than $1 billion to various philanthropic causes.

His foundation has focused its efforts on supporting programs to serve children, including those with intellectual and physical disabilities.

The new facilities join four other children’s hospitals in the new alliance:

• Golisano Children's Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, N.Y.;
• Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital at SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, N.Y.;
• Golisano Children's Hospital of Lee Health, Fort Myers, Fl.;
• The John R. Oishei Children's Hospital, Buffalo, N.Y. In January 2026, the Oishei hospital will become the Golisano Children's Hospital of Buffalo. Golisano announced a $50 million contribution to the hospital in August.

Pledge for more ‘transformative gifts’

The Golisano Foundation said the hospitals will be able to collaborate to improve services, and suggested that other healthcare facilities could be added in the future.

Golisano said in a news release that he would make “similar transformative gifts that will strengthen this new alliance."

"Children's health has always been a priority for me, and it's been deeply rewarding to see how the Golisano Children's Hospitals are making a profound impact on the communities they serve," Golisano said in a statement. "I am fortunate to be able to help others in this way, and I'm looking forward to seeing what these hospitals can achieve together.”

Erica Dayton, executive director of the Golisano Foundation, said the hope is to see significant improvements in pediatric care.

"The work starts today," Dayton said. "Through this new group partnership, we know more children will receive world-class care, regardless of where they live."

'Closer to cures'

The institutions lauded the contributions to the pediatric facilities, which topped previous records in some cases.

UK HealthCare said the donation was the largest in its history, and the second largest ever to the University of Kentucky. Kentucky Children’s Hospital will be renamed Golisano Children’s at the University of Kentucky.

“The impact this gift will have for our hospital and the others receiving donations cannot be overstated. At Kentucky Children’s Hospital, we treat young people from all across the state,” Scottie B. Day, MD, physician-in-chief for Kentucky Children’s Hospital, said in a news release.

“Knowing the life-changing resources this will bring to these children and their families in their greatest time of need is truly inspiring. We look forward to being part of the Golisano Children’s Alliance that will strengthen children’s health care for years to come,” Day said.

Likewise, the University of Maryland Medical System called the $50 million it received the largest contribution in the organization’s history. The children’s hospital, located inside the University of Maryland Medical Center, will be rebranded as the University of Maryland Golisano Children’s Hospital.

Steven J. Czinn, MD, director of the University of Maryland Golisano Children’s Hospital, said the contribution will have “a lasting legacy of healing and excellence for the children of Baltimore and beyond.”

“Tom Golisano’s extraordinary gift will help us create a world-class facility with programs in gene and cell therapy that move us closer to cures once thought out of reach. It will allow us to attract the best pediatric specialists in these fields — the future of pediatric health care — while accelerating the growth of our existing programs in heart care, mental health and community health,” Czinn said in a statement.

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford said the $50 million it received is also the single largest contribution in the organization’s history.

“This extraordinary gift from Tom Golisano ensures that children in every corner of our state have access to the highest level of pediatric care,” Jim Shmerling, president & CEO of Connecticut Children’s, said in a statement. “It represents a defining moment for our organization, for our patients, and for Connecticut.”

Penn State Health said the contribution was the largest the organization had received since 1963, when the M.S. Hershey Foundation provided $50 million to establish the Penn State College of Medicine and the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Dr. Michael Kupferman, CEO of Penn State Health, said in a news release that the contribution will enable the children’s hospital to offer more services.

“Tom Golisano’s extraordinary generosity will elevate our ability to care for families across the region,” Kupferman said in the statement. “This gift will help catalyze meaningful growth for our system and accelerate our drive toward the highest levels of care, service and discovery – all leading to a healthier future for children across Pennsylvania and beyond.”

The contributions come at a challenging time for many children’s hospitals.

Pediatric hospitals generally have shown solid financial performance recently, but they are expected to face more financial pressures due to pending Medicaid cuts, industry analysts say.

Leaders of children’s hospitals have said they expect philanthropy to take on more importance in the near future.