The Golisano Foundation will invest $100 million in two children’s hospitals, expanding the Golisano Children’s Alliance to 12 members nationwide.
Here are 10 things to know:
1. Philanthropist and entrepreneur Tom Golisano contributed $50 million each to Arkansas Children’s in Little Rock and Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia in Augusta, according to a Dec. 29 foundation news release.
2. Both hospitals will join the Golisano Children’s Alliance and incorporate Golisano into their names. The Arkansas Children’s campus will be renamed Arkansas Children’s Golisano Campus, and Wellstar Children’s will become Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia.
3. It is the largest gift Wellstar and Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia have ever received, according to a Dec. 29 health system news release. It is the only member hospital in all of Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina.
4. The donation is also the largest ever in Arkansas Children’s history and will support its $371 million expansion project, according to the system’s Dec. 29 news release. Its 10-year systemwide growth plan includes workforce recruitment, facility upgrades and program development.
5. The investments are intended to support strategic priorities, expand access and strengthen clinical programs at both facilities.
6. In 2025, Mr. Golisano committed $403 million to children’s hospitals as part of the alliance initiative. Nine hospitals received philanthropic support this year, with a long-term goal of growing the network to 40 members.
7. He announced the alliance in October, committing a combined $253 million to six hospitals, including:
- The Golisano Medical Center at Connecticut Children’s in Hartford ($50 million)
- Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital in Hershey, Pa. ($50 million)
- Golisano Children’s at UK in Lexington, Ky. ($50 million)
- University of Maryland Golisano Children’s Hospital in Baltimore ($50 million)
- Golisano Children’s Hospital at University of Vermont Health in Burlington ($25 million)
- WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s in Morgantown, W.Va. ($28 million)
8. The four existing hospitals in the alliance are:
- Golisano Children’s Hospitals at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center.
- Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y.
- Golisano Children’s Hospital of Lee Health in Fort Myers, Fla.
- John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo, N.Y., which will become the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Buffalo in January.
9. Mr. Golisano has contributed more than $1 billion to education, healthcare and other causes through the Golisano Foundation, which holds more than $120 million in gross assets.
10. Additional partnerships are anticipated in 2026, according to the foundation.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 9:40 a.m. Central time on Dec. 29.
