PITTSFORD, N.Y., December 4, 2023—A $5 million gift from B. Thomas Golisano and the Golisano Foundation will support the continued growth and expansion of the Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing at the St. John Fisher University Wegmans School of Nursing. The gift, $4 million from Golisano and $1 million from the Foundation, will bolster its efforts to positively impact more than 1 million health encounters for patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) over the next 10 years. Read more
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Rochester, NY – November 3, 2023 –The Golisano Foundation has introduced a new series of online Community Conversations that provide the opportunity for grant seekers, non-profit leaders, service providers, and funders in New York and Southwest Florida to explore several topics of interest, services, programs, and potential avenues for collaboration. Read more
Rochester, NY – October 18, 2023, Starbridge honored WXXI and the Golisano Foundation’s Move to Include™ initiative as a “Community Champion” at its Cause for Celebration fundraising event. Move to Include™ is a multimedia initiative founded in 2014 by WXXI and the Golisano Foundation. The Community Champion Awards honor individuals and organizations creating positive change in the lives of people with disabilities in the Finger Lakes region. Read more
Berlin, Germany – June 19, 2023 – The fourth Global Golisano Health Leadership Awards were presented today at the Special Olympics World Games. The awards showcase the impactful work of Special Olympics and the Golisano Foundation to surmount the healthcare barriers faced by people with intellectual disabilities worldwide and push for more collaboration with public and private partners—critical to meeting this challenges. Read more
We are pleased to announce that Erica Dayton has been appointed as the next Executive Director of the Golisano Foundation. Erica succeeds Ann Costello, who is retiring on June 2 after 23 years of leadership. Erica joined the Golisano Foundation in 2019 as Grants Manager. She holds a Master of Science degree in Strategic Leadership from Roberts Wesleyan University, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from St. John Fisher University.
Prior to joining the Foundation, she served for almost 14 years at the University of Rochester in various administrative positions, including Research Administrator and Grant Accountant. Read more
Rochester, NY–May 11, 2023– A new exhibit, Innovative Investments: 30 Years of Tom Golisano at RIT, opened on Thursday, May 11 in RIT's B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences (GCCIS) atrium. This is the first exhibit developed in the RIT Archives under the new Marie Golisano Graham Outreach Archivist Landyn Hatch. This position supports Marie Golisano Graham’s interests in creating dynamic outreach initiatives and experiential learning opportunities for the RIT and Greater Rochester communities through exhibits, oral histories, and hands-on instruction with the B. Thomas Golisano collection.
Tom Golisano received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) on May 12 at its 2023 commencement ceremony along with four other honorees and more than 4,000 graduates. Tom was recognized for his business leadership and philanthropic contributions to the greater Rochester community and beyond. Read more
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Kaitlin Graham has been promoted to Managing Director of the Golisano Foundation’s Southwest Florida operations and Bailey & Friends for Southwest Florida and Western New York. In this new position, Kaitlin will assume leadership of the grantmaking process in Southwest Florida that supports services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). She will also continue to process grants and maintain relationships with animal welfare organizations in Western New York and Southwest Florida through the Foundation’s Bailey and Friends Fund. Read more
Victor, NY–April 26, 2023–The Golisano Foundation has presented its prestigious Move to Include Award to Dalmath Associates. Dalmath Associates President Jean Dalmath and Vice President Amanda Antinore accepted the award at the Foundation's Board of Trustees Meeting April 26. Read more
Pittsford, NY –May 12, 2023– Ann Costello, executive director of the Golisano Foundation; Dr. Rick DeJesús-Rueff, emeritus vice president of student affairs at Fisher; and John Carlo, former senior vice president of pharmacy for Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. received a President’s Medal from St. John Fisher University in recognition of their leadership, partnership, and impact on the Fisher community. Costello was honored during the Wegmans School of Nursing ceremony. Read more
Rochester, NY—February 21, 2023—The Golisano Foundation, Special Olympics, and Best Buddies are joining together to host the second annual Festival of Inclusion on Saturday, March 4. The inspirational day of interactive fun, games and education is free and will be held at the Golisano Training Center at Nazareth, 4245 East Ave in Rochester from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is part of the annual Spread the Word Inclusion campaign. Read more
Rochester, NY—January 23, 2023—The Golisano Community Engagement Center is now a reality at Roberts Wesleyan University. President Deana L. Porterfield was joined today by campus leaders, community partners and friends of the university to celebrate the grand opening of the new and highly anticipated $13.9 million Golisano Community Engagement Center that will serve as a hub for connection, community interaction and student life resources on campus.
The modern 26,167-square-foot, two-story center reflects Roberts Wesleyan’s deeply rooted spiritual
and community ties, serving as the first building on campus to provide centralized space for both
students and the community to gather and interact. Upon entering through the Parris Family Welcome
Center, which includes a visual timeline of the institution’s storied 157-year history, the first floor
encompasses 3,000 square feet of event space available for campus functions and rental opportunities. Read more
Rochester, NY—January 10, 2023—Ann Costello, Executive Director of the Golisano Foundation announced today that she will retire from her position on June 2, 2023. Costello has led the foundation for 23 years since 1999. The Golisano Foundation is one of the nation’s leading foundations dedicated exclusively to helping individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It was established in 1985 by Tom Golisano, the founder of Paychex, Inc., a leader in the payroll, human resource, and benefits outsourcing industry. Read more
Polokwane, Limpopo – November 17-19, 2022 – Ann Costello, the Golisano Foundation Executive Director, visted this year’s Special Olympics South Africa National Games to witness the impact Tom Golisano's and the Golisano Foundation's global gifts have made on community health care for people with intellectual disabilities in South Africa. Read more
Rochester, NY – November 9, 2022 – The Golisano Foundation has awarded WXXI Public Media a five-year grant totaling $1.65 million in support of the continuation and expansion of the Move to Include (MTI) initiative. In 2014 WXXI and the Foundation joined forces to launch MTI, an initiative that uses the power of public media to inform and transform attitudes and behavior about intellectual, physical, and developmental disabilities. Read more
Rochester, NY – November 2, 2022 – A gift from the Marie Golisano Graham Fund is supporting new ways for Rochester Institute of Technology to engage the public with the life and legacy of her brother, B. Thomas Golisano — Paychex founder, philanthropist, and civic leader. A new position in the RIT Archives, made possible by the Graham Fund, is dedicated to sharing Golisano’s story through the contents of the B. Thomas Golisano Collection. The Marie Golisano Graham Outreach Archivist Landyn Hatch will steward and expand the Golisano collection to include oral histories from people who have known the leader or benefited from his philanthropies. Read more
Rochester, NY — November 2, 2022 — Entrepreneur and philanthropist Tom Golisano announced today the establishment of Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship, a not-for-profit two-year certificate program comprised exclusively of business-related subject matter. Golisano Institute is aimed at reducing the time and cost of a traditional business school education. Golisano expects to welcome its first class of students in Fall 2023. Read more
November 2022 — Grants were awarded to organizations supporting programs and initiatives for people with intellectual disabilities and to efforts supporting animal welfare in western New York and Florida. See awards
New York, NY, USA — May 12, 2022 — Tom Golisano, founder of Paychex and noted philanthropist, served as the 2022 Grand Marshal of the Columbus Day Parade on New York City's Fifth Avenue. Golisano's visionary business acumen led to the creation and success of Paychex, which streamlined payroll and human resources services to businesses nation-wide. Golisano is also an investor in 18 businesses across the country. Golisano's charitable work is undertaken by the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation, with a primary focus on awarding grants to organizations that provide opportunities for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Read more
September 20, 2022 – New York City, USA – Special Olympics, and the Golisano Foundation celebrated a decade of global health accomplishments and trailblazers at the Global Inclusive Health Leadership Summit and 2022 Global Golisano Health Leadership Awards presentation. Read more
The Golisano Foundation awarded $421,500 in grants in July to 10 organizations. Bailey and Friends also announced grants of $27,000 to four organizations. Read more
Fort Myers, FL – May 10, 2022 – Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida celebrated its 5-year anniversary this May! While May marks five years since Golisano opened in its new home, it also marks the realization of a dream that was more than 20 years and thousands of people in the making. Read more
Inclusion is about equality, acceptance and respect for all. Join the Golisano Foundation, Best Buddies, and Special Olympics for our Spread the Word Inclusion 2022: Champions of Change global day of activation on Wednesday, March 2. Read more
Rochester, NY – January 27, 2022 – WXXI was honored with a Public Media Award from the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) for its Move to Include national initiative. In the Community Engagement category, WXXI received the National Project Award for the work that Move to Include accomplished by expanding the multi-faceted approach to public awareness of issues surrounding disability across the country. The award was presented at NETA’s 53rd Annual Public Media Awards Gala held virtually on January 26 at the 2022 NETA Conference and CPB Public Media Thought Leader Forum. Read more
