Two Rochester philanthropists ranked among nation’s Top 50 donors

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Two Rochester business leaders were named to the Philanthropy 50, the annual list compiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy recognizing the Americans who donated the largest sums to nonprofit causes last year. 

Tom Golisano, founder of Paychex, ranked 12th on the 2025 list with $428 million in charitable giving. Golisano, a frequent presence on the list, continued a long track record of major philanthropy focused on health care and children’s services. 

Rochester entrepreneur Stephen Ashley, chairman and founder of The Ashley Companies, ranked 40th after donating $55 million in 2025. 

Golisano’s giving last year centered largely on expanding the Golisano Children’s Alliance, which he launched to bring together a national network of children’s hospitals. The alliance aims to strengthen collaboration among pediatric institutions while advancing research, treatment innovation and policy advocacy. 

In 2025, Golisano pledged major gifts to nine hospitals in the network. He had previously supported three others: Golisano Children’s Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital at SUNY Upstate Medical University and Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. 

Each of the following hospitals received $50 million commitments: Arkansas Children’s (Golisano Campus), Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Oishei Children’s Hospital, UK HealthCare Kentucky Children’s Hospital, Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, University of Maryland Children’s Hospital, and Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia. 

While the hospitals will continue operating independently, the alliance is designed to enable collaboration on treatment advances, research funding, reimbursement policies and broader national health care initiatives. 

Ashley’s 2025 philanthropy focused on his alma mater, Cornell University, where his gift established the Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment.  

The new school combines two units within the university’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences — the Department of Global Development and the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment — creating a structure intended to foster greater interdisciplinary research across agriculture, environmental science and economics. 

Nationally, former Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and former mayor of New York City, topped the Philanthropy 50 for the third consecutive year with $4.3 billion in charitable contributions in 2025. 

Other leading donors included Bill Gates ($3.7 billion), Warren Buffett ($1.3 billion), Michael Dell and Susan Dell ($975 million), Phil Knight and Penny Knight ($866.2 million), Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt ($774.9 million), Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan ($608 million), David Duffield and Cheryl Duffield ($546 million), and David Tepper ($529.8 million). 

The Philanthropy 50 ranking is based on publicly reported gifts and pledges of cash and stock made to nonprofit organizations during the year. Editors at the Chronicle of Philanthropy compile the list by reviewing public records and interviewing nonprofits, philanthropists and their representatives. 

Because many donors do not publicly disclose details of their giving, and are not legally required to do so, the list does not capture every major philanthropic contribution made during the year. 

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