Tom Golisano Invests $100 Million in Two Additional Children's Hospitals, Expanding Golisano Children's Alliance to 12 Members Nationwide

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Dec. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Philanthropist and entrepreneur Tom Golisano today announced a $100 million investment in two additional children's hospitals, Arkansas Children's in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Wellstar Children's Hospital of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia, each receiving $50 million. With these additions, both hospitals will join the Golisano Children's Alliance, bringing the total number of alliance members to 12 children's hospitals across the United States.

The Golisano Children's Alliance is a growing national network of children's hospitals united by a shared commitment to improving pediatric healthcare delivery, advancing innovation, and ensuring children and families have access to high-quality, compassionate care close to home.

The investments will support each hospital's strategic priorities, enabling them to strengthen clinical programs, expand access to care, and respond to the unique needs of children and families in their regions. Each hospital will become an active member of the Golisano Children's Alliance as well as incorporate Golisano into the organization's name. The Arkansas Children's campus in Little Rock will become the Arkansas Children's Golisano Campus, and Wellstar Children's Hospital of Georgia will become Wellstar Golisano Children's Hospital of Georgia.

"Children's hospitals are essential to the health and future of our communities, and each one serves families with unique needs and challenges," said Tom Golisano. "Arkansas Children's and Children's Hospital of Georgia have demonstrated a deep commitment to advancing pediatric care, expanding access, and investing in innovation. I'm proud to support their work and to welcome them into the Golisano Children's Alliance as we continue building a collaborative network focused on improving outcomes for children nationwide."

Mr. Golisano emphasized that these investments reflect his ongoing effort to better understand the evolving needs of children's hospitals nationwide.

Marcy Doderer, president and CEO of Arkansas Children's, is leading a 10-year system-wide expansion to meet the escalating child health needs of the next generation. "The demand for services continues to change and grow—and we are committed to providing the best care, research and outcomes for the patients we serve," said Doderer. "Mr. Golisano's extraordinary generosity is an investment in Arkansas Children's, ensuring access to the best answers medicine can offer. This gift elevates our work as a pediatric health center of excellence, expanding care close to home for the children of America's heartland."

Arkansas Children's is a nationally recognized, independent pediatric health system that serves Arkansas and the broader heartland region, providing comprehensive, high-quality pediatric care and research.

"We are deeply grateful to Mr. Golisano for his extraordinary gift to improve the health and well-being of children in Georgia and across the country. We are honored to be among the handful of hospitals nationwide that have earned his transformative support," said Ketul J. Patel, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System. "Thanks to the power of philanthropy, we can expand the lasting impact of compassionate, innovative care to more children and families across Georgia and far beyond, today and for generations to come."

The Wellstar Golisano Children's Hospital of Georgia serves as Wellstar's cornerstone for pediatric excellence, delivering advanced surgical specialties, intensive care units (NICU and PICU) and nationally recognized outcomes for high-acuity cases.

In 2025, Mr. Golisano significantly expanded his support of children's hospitals with a transformative philanthropic commitment totaling $403 million to elevate pediatric care. Announced in October, the Golisano Children's Alliance brings together a national network of 12 children's hospitals bearing the Golisano name, including nine hospitals supported through this year's philanthropic investments.

As part of this continued engagement, Mr. Golisano is actively building relationships with children's hospitals across the country, with a long-term goal of expanding the Golisano Children's Alliance to 40 hospitals over the next several years. Additional hospital partnerships are anticipated in 2026.

For more information on the Golisano Children's Alliance, visit golisanofoundation.org/alliance.

About Tom Golisano 
Tom Golisano—entrepreneur, philanthropist, and civic leader—is the founder of Paychex, Inc., the nation's largest human resource company for small to medium-sized businesses. Mr. Golisano's vision, perseverance, and action have left an indelible mark on a broad spectrum of issues that touch our lives in business, healthcare, education, animal welfare, voter policies, politics, and tax reform. His investments are advancing entrepreneurship and driving the success of numerous businesses and start-ups. His philanthropic contributions to education, hospitals—including multiple children's hospitals across the country that bear his name and numerous other organizations exceed $1 billion. 

A fierce advocate for dignity and inclusion, in 1985 Tom Golisano applied his pioneering spirit to establish the Golisano Foundation to make the world a better place for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. With more than $120 million in gross assets, it is one of the largest private foundations in the U.S. devoted to supporting programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities awarding grants to non-profit organizations in Western New York and Southwest Florida.

In 2025, Mr. Golisano launched the Golisano Children's Alliance, a national initiative that provides strategic funding and brings together children's hospitals across the United States to elevate pediatric care by expanding services, strengthening collaboration, and ensuring that children and families have access to the highest quality medical attention close to home. Together, Alliance members are building a nationally recognized network that exemplifies excellence, dignity, and innovation in pediatric health care.

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SOURCE Golisano Foundation