Arkansas Children's Receives Record-Breaking $50 Million Gift for System-Wide Expansion

LITTLE ROCK, AR – December 29, 2025 – In a landmark moment that will reshape the future of pediatric healthcare in the region, Arkansas Children's today announced a historic $50 million gift from philanthropist and entrepreneur B. Thomas Golisano. The donation is the single largest philanthropic gift in the health system's 113-year history and serves as a cornerstone for its ambitious $371 million, 10-year strategic growth plan.

This transformative investment will accelerate key priorities designed to meet the escalating health needs of children in Arkansas and beyond. In recognition of this monumental contribution, the Arkansas Children's campus in Little Rock will be renamed the Arkansas Children's Golisano Campus, permanently linking his legacy of generosity to the health system's mission.

"The need 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 Marcy Doderer, FACHE, president and chief executive officer of Arkansas Children's. "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."

A Catalyst for Unprecedented Growth

The $50 million infusion of capital will directly support a comprehensive system-wide expansion. The funds are earmarked for critical program development, recruitment of a highly specialized workforce, and significant facility upgrades across the health system. For families, this translates into more accessible specialized care, the arrival of top-tier pediatric physicians and researchers in Arkansas, and state-of-the-art facilities equipped with the latest medical technology.

Arkansas Children's, one of less than 1% of hospitals in the nation that are independently governed and focused solely on pediatrics, serves as a vital anchor for the community. Its strategy is centered on defining, discovering, and delivering answers to the most difficult questions in child health—solutions that families desperately need. This gift provides the critical resources to pursue those answers with greater speed and impact.

With this investment, Arkansas Children's also joins the prestigious Golisano Children's Alliance, a collaborative network of 12 children's hospitals. This membership connects Arkansas Children's with other leading institutions across the country, fostering innovation, sharing best practices, and advancing pediatric healthcare delivery on a national scale.

The Golisano Legacy of Giving

Tom Golisano is a name synonymous with both business acumen and profound philanthropy. As the founder of Paychex, Inc., the nation's largest human resource company for small to medium-sized businesses, he built a corporate empire. He has since dedicated his resources to advancing health and education, contributing more than $1 billion to various causes nationwide. His focused generosity earned him the No. 8 spot on The Chronicle of Philanthropy's 2024 Philanthropy 50 list of America's biggest donors.

His Golisano Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the U.S. devoted to supporting programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The newly formed Golisano Children's Alliance extends this focus to pediatric health, creating a powerful network of hospitals committed to excellence.

"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 has 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."

A Wave of Transformative Philanthropy

Mr. Golisano's historic gift is the capstone of a period of unprecedented philanthropic support for Arkansas Children's, reflecting a powerful belief in the system's vision. This momentum is fueled by a combination of organizational investment and major contributions from key partners.

Recently, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin committed $55 million in opioid and vaping settlement funds to the health system. This funding will establish the National Center for Opioid Research & Clinical Effectiveness (NCOR) on the Little Rock campus. Now under construction and slated for completion in early 2027, NCOR will pioneer one of the country's most ambitious research efforts dedicated to understanding and mitigating the impact of opioids on children.

This follows a $25 million investment in 2023 from the Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, Inc., aimed at transforming child health in northwest Arkansas. In honor of that gift, the Arkansas Children's Northwest campus in Springdale was named the Pat Walker Campus. The Springdale hospital features a Level IV pediatric trauma center and is undergoing its own expansion of inpatient and surgical units.

Fred Scarborough, executive vice president and chief development officer for Arkansas Children's, noted the collective impact of these contributions.

"These landmark investments reflect an extraordinary belief in what Arkansas Children's is building for families across America's heartland," said Scarborough. "As a health system, we are investing more than $371 million to fuel innovation and expand access. Every gift matters because philanthropy is the margin of excellence — ensuring we can continue to meet the growing needs of children today and well into the future."

This powerful combination of public, private, and philanthropic funding ensures that Arkansas Children's, which began as an orphanage in 1912, can continue to deliver on its promise of unprecedented child health for the 850,000 children of Arkansas and the broader region for generations to come.