$50 million latest gift to children’s hospital raises philanthropist Tom Golisano’s donations over the $1.1 billion mark
Arkansas Children’s Hospital has announced a transformational moment in its history with the receipt of an extraordinary $50 million new commitment from the Golisano Family Foundation—the largest philanthropic gift the institution has ever received and a signal of profound confidence in its mission, leadership, and future impact.
The gift, to be distributed over five years in $10 million installments, arrives as both a catalyst and a cornerstone for the hospital’s most ambitious era of growth, reflecting the enduring generosity and values-driven philanthropy of Tom Golisano, a longtime supporter of Lifestyles Magazine / Meaningful Influence whose giving has consistently focused on expanding opportunity, dignity, and access for underserved communities.
President and CEO Marcy Doderer described the donation as nothing short of historic, emphasizing its scale and significance for pediatric healthcare in the state. She noted that Arkansas Children’s has never before experienced philanthropy of this magnitude, calling it a landmark moment that will reverberate for generations of families. The initial funding will help propel a $230 million expansion on the Little Rock campus, part of a broader $370 million systemwide expansion designed to elevate clinical capacity, innovation, and access across Arkansas.
At the heart of this growth is a deeply patient-centered vision: bringing high-quality pediatric care closer to where families live. Doderer underscored that travel for healthcare is not merely inconvenient but often impossible for many families, particularly those managing complex or chronic conditions.
Arkansas Children’s is therefore investing heavily in technology, partnerships, and infrastructure to extend specialized care far beyond its main campus. The long-term goal is a robust, statewide network of virtual and locally supported care for complex pediatric cases—dramatically reducing the need for families to uproot their lives to seek treatment in Little Rock.
While the Golisano gift represents a monumental leap forward, Doderer was clear that it does not diminish the ongoing need for philanthropic partnership. The needs of Arkansas’s children, she explained, continue to grow, and meeting them requires disciplined stewardship, sustainable reimbursement for care delivered, and the continued generosity of a community deeply committed to its youngest residents.
She was emphatic in dispelling any notion that additional giving is no longer necessary, noting that the opportunities to improve outcomes for children across the state remain vast and urgent. Progress, she stressed, is best achieved in partnership with donors who share the hospital’s belief that every child deserves access to exceptional care.
Doderer’s passion for the mission is also deeply personal.
As the mother of a now-young adult with a complex chronic illness, she has spent years navigating the healthcare system from what she calls “the parent’s side of the bed.” That lived experience informs her leadership and fuels her sense of purpose. Each day, she says, begins with the conviction that it is possible to change the life of a single child—and, by extension, an entire family.
The Golisano Family Foundation’s unprecedented generosity stands as a transformative force for Arkansas Children’s Hospital, strengthening its ability to deliver world-class pediatric care while easing the burdens families so often face.
More than a financial milestone, the gift affirms a shared belief in what is possible when visionary philanthropy meets mission-driven leadership: a future in which children across Arkansas can receive the care they need, closer to home, with dignity, compassion, and hope.