New York philanthropist Tom Golisano announces $50 million gift to UK, UK HealthCare to support Kentucky kids
Video produced by UK Public Relations and Strategic Communications. To view captions for this video, push play and click on the CC icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. If using a mobile device, click on the gear icon in the same area.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 28, 2025) — Entrepreneur and philanthropist Tom Golisano announced Tuesday that the University of Kentucky and UK HealthCare will receive a historic $50 million gift that will transform pediatric health care in Kentucky.
Golisano of Rochester, New York, is the founder of Paychex, the nation’s largest human resource company for small to medium-sized businesses, and the Golisano Foundation, one of the nation’s largest foundations dedicated to supporting programs for people with intellectual disabilities. Tuesday’s announcement from Golisano of funding to six new children’s health systems — including UK’s — brings his total of lifetime giving to more than $1 billion.
The gift, the largest in UK HealthCare history and the second-largest to UK, will support the university’s mission to improve the health of our state’s children through access to advanced care, enhancing research to address the biggest challenges and expanding educational opportunities to provide essential health care professionals in the state — and beyond.
“We are honored and incredibly grateful to Mr. Golisano for the generous gift he has made to the University of Kentucky, and to our efforts to meet the needs of Kentucky children,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “Mr. Golisano’s life has been about grit and grace, and that’s exactly what we see every day here in Kentucky. His generosity is a testament to his faith in what we provide to Kentucky and its children — a promise to extend compassionate care, to more patients, closer to home. We’ll translate his gift into acts of goodness to ensure a healthier, wealthier and wiser Kentucky.”
“I am proud to make this gift to the University of Kentucky to support the health and well-being of children in the Commonwealth,” Golisano said. “As part of the Golisano Children’s Alliance, UK HealthCare becomes part of a nationally recognized network of children’s hospitals that exemplifies excellence, dignity, and innovation in pediatric health care. With this gift, I hope to further UK’s mission of advancing health care in the state and providing high-quality health care to children and families closer to home.”
To honor this transformative gift, the executive committee of the UK Board of Trustees met on Tuesday to approve the renaming of Kentucky Children’s Hospital, along with its specialty clinics and affiliate network, in honor of Golisano:
- Kentucky Children’s Hospital will become Golisano Children’s at UK.
- The Richmond Road site will become Golisano Children’s at UK - Richmond Road.
- The affiliate network will become Golisano Children’s at UK - Affiliate Network.
Funds from the Golisano gift will not only go to improving the hospital itself but will be used to grow and cultivate the affiliate network and other programs out in the state.
“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,” said Scottie B. Day, M.D., physician-in-chief for Kentucky Children’s Hospital. “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.”
A “hospital within a hospital,” the initially named UK Children’s Hospital launched in 1997. In 2005, it was renamed Kentucky Children’s Hospital, a change that reflects service to all of Kentucky’s kids, not just those in the Lexington area.
Today, it comprises more than 210 beds across six units, and includes several specialty units and programs for pediatrics like the Makenna David Pediatric Emergency Department, the DanceBlue Kentucky Children's Hospital Hematology/Oncology Clinic, the Kosair for Kids Center for Safe and Healthy Children and Families, the Joint Pediatric Heart Care Program, a “one program, two sites” collaboration with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital that is one of the top-ranked pediatric heart programs in the country, and a partnership with Shriners’ Children’s Lexington on an outpatient surgical and rehabilitation center that is among the top pediatric orthopedic programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
In more recent years, Kentucky Children’s Hospital has taken major steps to expand access to its specialty services across the state. In 2023, UK HealthCare opened a new facility, Kentucky Children’s Richmond Road, which is home to four specialty clinics: the Complex Care Clinic, Developmental Pediatrics Clinic, NICU Graduation Clinic and the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinic. Earlier this year, the Kentucky Children’s Hospital Affiliate Network was launched, connecting community hospitals across the state to expert pediatric care and resources.
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. 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 — exceeds $1 billion.
A fierce advocate for dignity and inclusion, in 1985 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 United States devoted to supporting programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities awarding grants to nonprofit organizations in Western New York and Southwest Florida.
Mr. Golisano formed and financially supports the Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship, where students receive a high quality business certificate and write their own entrepreneurial success stories, without having to take on enormous debt.
He is the author of two Books, “Built Not Born,” a Wall Street Journal best seller and “The Italian Kid Did It!”
Connect with him at Golisanofoundation.org, Facebook: @GolisanoFoundation, X: GolisanoFdn, Instagram: @golisanofdn, YouTube: @GolisanoFoundation
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns and the region’s only Level 1 trauma center.
As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the health care landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.