Golisano Foundation

The foundation makes program-related investments directly, typically in health-tech and medical-device companies aligned with its disability-inclusion mandate. It co-invests on occasion with university-affiliated venture funds and evaluates opportunities through a double lens of financial return and measurable social impact. The foundation's concentration in upstate New York and southwest Florida gives it access to deal flow from regional university research ecosystems.

The foundation operates as a perpetual grantmaking entity with an endowment funded by Tom Golisano's Paychex wealth. It maintains a dual approach, combining traditional grantmaking with program-related investments that can return capital to the endowment. The B. Thomas Golisano Foundation Fund at the Rochester Area Community Foundation provides an additional giving vehicle alongside the main foundation.

The Golisano Foundation is financially independent of Paychex, though its endowment derives from Tom Golisano's founding stake in the payroll-processing company. Golisano stepped down as Paychex CEO in 2004 and sold voting control over time, using proceeds to fund the foundation. The foundation has no operational or investment link to Paychex and does not accept corporate contributions from the company.

The foundation does not maintain a general open application process. It proactively identifies partners and typically works through invitation-only grantmaking. Organizations seeking support for disability-inclusion initiatives in the foundation's geographic footprint can submit a brief inquiry, but unsolicited proposals rarely receive funding without an existing relationship.

Healthcare grants fund clinical infrastructure, nursing training, and lifespan-care models for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, exemplified by the Golisano Children's Hospitals and the developmental-disability nursing institute. Education grants target inclusive higher-education and vocational programs, including the Golisano Institute for Business and Entrepreneurship for neurodiverse students. The two areas often overlap in practice, with the foundation viewing integrated care and education as mutually reinforcing.

The foundation targets early-to-growth-stage companies developing assistive technologies, diagnostic tools, and therapeutic devices that serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Investments prioritize devices that bridge gaps in standard healthcare delivery for this population, particularly in mobility, communication, and remote monitoring.

Tom Golisano and his family maintain direct governance control of the foundation through its board. Ann Costello directs day-to-day grantmaking and investment operations as the professional chief executive. The foundation has not publicly detailed succession plans, and Golisano remains the primary philanthropic decision-maker as of the most recent public record.