Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation

What Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation does

Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation, founded in 1984 and headquartered in Pensacola, Florida, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that functions as the dedicated fundraising arm of the Ascension Sacred Heart health system across Northwest Florida. The foundation channels philanthropic capital — individual donations, corporate sponsorships, planned/legacy gifts, and event fundraising — into a network of affiliated hospitals and specialty programs, including Studer Family Children's Hospital, Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, Ascension Sacred Heart Gulf, Ascension Sacred Heart Bay, and the Sacred Heart Cancer Center. Roughly 70% of patients served across these facilities are under-insured or uninsured, making philanthropic support structurally critical to the system's care delivery mandate.

Operationally, the foundation runs a multi-channel fundraising engine anchored by a portfolio of recurring annual events (Charity Golf Classic in its 23rd year, Cat Country Cares for Kids Radiothon, Cordova Mall Ball, Emerald Ball, Bay Gala, Wine on the Water) and sustained institutional partnerships, most notably the Destin Charity Wine Auction (cumulative $3.1M since 2006 supporting a Level II NICU) and the Children's Miracle Network. Programmatic spending is directed at medical technology acquisition (ECMO, 82 Angel Eye NICU cameras), facility buildout (Murphy Family Foundation Women's Diagnostic Center, Bear Family Foundation Pediatric Oncology Center for Hope), and patient-experience initiatives (Sacred Paws facility dog program, Heart of the Community Fund, Amazon Wish Lists).

The foundation operates without disclosed revenue figures, traditional pricing, or product sales; all inflow is voluntary tax-deductible giving. It is governed as part of the Catholic health ministry of Ascension, with no equity, parent-company changes, or M&A signals identified in the source materials. Recent management is led by President Adrienne Maygarden, with Janet Piepul directing planned giving and Brendan Murphy chairing the Gulf Advisory Committee. The operating model is regional, community-led, and relationship-driven rather than technology-led.

Name

Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation

Legal name

Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation

Website

https://givesacredheart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1984 that raises philanthropic funds to support the Ascension Sacred Heart health system and its hospitals across Northwest Florida, primarily serving under-insured and uninsured patients through donations, events, and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Philanthropy

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Healthcare philanthropy
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Hospital foundation
• Charitable giving
• Community health support

Headquarters

HQ city

Pensacola

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals supporting healthcare services, medical technologies, and patient care programs.
2. Corporate Philanthropy: Corporate sponsorships, matching gifts, and cause marketing partnerships from businesses supporting local healthcare.
3. Event Fundraising: Annual fundraising events including Charity Golf Classic, Radiothon, Cordova Mall Ball, Emerald Ball generating donations for hospital programs.
4. Planned Giving: Bequests, estate gifts, IRA charitable distributions, life insurance donations supporting long-term foundation sustainability.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1984 that serves as the philanthropic fundraising arm of the Ascension Sacred Heart health system in Northwest Florida. The foundation solicits and distributes charitable contributions from individuals, corporations, and events to fund patient care, medical technologies, facility dogs, NICU equipment, women's diagnostic services, pediatric oncology, trauma care, and assistance for under-insured and uninsured patients across the region's hospitals and children's hospital programs.

Product overview

Sacred Heart Foundation is a not-for-profit fundraising organization founded in 1984 that serves as the philanthropic arm of the Ascension Sacred Heart health system in Northwest Florida. The organization operates as a unified foundation that raises funds through various programs including direct donations, planned giving, corporate engagement, and annual events. The foundation supports a network of healthcare facilities and programs including Studer Family Children's Hospital (the region's only dedicated children's hospital), the Level II Trauma Center at Ascension Sacred Heart Bay, women's diagnostic services, NICU care with Angel Eye cameras, ECMO life-support technology, and pediatric oncology. Additional fundraising merchandise and gift programs include Amazon Wish Lists for various departments, a Bonfire merchandise store, and the Sacred Paws facility dog program. The organization hosts annual events like the Charity Golf Classic, Radiothon, Cordova Mall Ball, and Emerald Ball, and manages corporate partnerships through the Children's Miracle Network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $3.1 million raised by Destin Charity Wine Auction supporters since 2006
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Destin Charity Wine AuctioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-term fundraising partner since 2006 supporting Level II NICU at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast. Contributed $3.1 million in lifetime giving over 19 years, making significant impact on care for vulnerable neonatal patients.
• Hanto + ClarkecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerConstruction firm that has sponsored Cat Country Cares for Kids Radiothon since 2022 benefiting Studer Family Children's Hospital. Families (Clarke families) who were NICU parents have become active supporters, including contributing to NICU redesign.
• Children's Miracle Network HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partnership program supporting children's hospitals. Studer Family Children's Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart is a designated CMN Hospital, Northwest Florida's only children's hospital dedicated solely to care of sick and injured babies and children.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Baptist Health Care Foundation: Regional healthcare philanthropy foundation in Pensacola/Northwest Florida, competing for the same donor base and corporate partners across the same local market.
• Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation: Long-tenured fundraising partner of the foundation; operates as a parallel Emerald Coast charity organization raising significant philanthropic dollars through high-end events.
• Pensacola Community Foundation: Local community foundation serving Northwest Florida; competes for the same high-net-worth individual and corporate donor pool for community-impact giving.

Emerging players

• Nemours Children's Health Foundation: Pediatric-focused health system foundation; comparable in mission emphasis on children's hospital philanthropy and CMN-affiliated giving programs.

Broad incumbents

• CommonSpirit Health Foundation: Foundation arm of one of the largest US nonprofit Catholic health systems; comparable in mission, governance, and the kind of large-scale healthcare philanthropy pursued.
• Ascension (national system): Parent health system of Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation; comparable as a large nonprofit Catholic health system's philanthropic arm with national reach and shared mission infrastructure.
• HCA Healthcare Foundation: Foundation arm of the largest US for-profit hospital operator; comparable in scope of healthcare philanthropy even though structurally different.
• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: National alliance that channels corporate donations to member children's hospitals including Studer Family Children's Hospital; comparable as a healthcare philanthropy infrastructure provider.
• Trinity Health Foundation: Another major Catholic health system foundation with similar regional hospital fundraising structures and donor stewardship programs.

Regional players

• American Cancer Society (local chapters): National health nonprofit with strong regional presence in Northwest Florida; competes for oncology-related donations that the foundation's Bear Family Foundation Pediatric Oncology Center also relies on.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@givesacredheart
• Facebookfacebook.com/AscensionSacredHeartFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/GiveSacredHeart
• Xx.com/shhpens
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sacred-heart-foundation-northwest-florida

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation