What Surgery On Sunday does

Surgery on Sunday is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2005 and headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, that provides medically necessary outpatient surgeries at no cost to income-eligible uninsured and underinsured individuals who do not qualify for federal or state assistance. Services include gallbladder removal, hernia repair, tonsillectomies, gynecological and orthopedic procedures, cataract removal, and colonoscopies, delivered alongside pre-operative consultations and post-operative follow-up care. The program is the first of its kind in the United States and is delivered through a referral-only intake channel: patients must be referred by a primary care professional or free clinic within a 250-mile radius of Lexington.

The operating model is built on volunteer labor and donated assets. A full-time Executive Director and part-time Volunteer Coordinator (the organization's only two paid staff) coordinate a network of nearly 300 credentialed medical and administrative volunteers — surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, surgical techs — who collectively have donated more than 100,000 hours since inception. Surgical capacity is provided in-kind by Lexington Surgery Center on the third Sunday of each month, and administrative offices are donated by CHI Saint Joseph Health. To date, the program has provided nearly 6,000 free surgeries at an average cost of roughly $1,500 per procedure, compared with a market rate of $10,000–$20,000.

Revenue is sourced entirely from private individual and corporate donations, foundation grants, and fundraising events (notably Sweat4Surgeries, which has raised nearly $280,000 over seven years, and The Perfect 10 Miler & 10K); the organization receives no government assistance. Anchor supporters include CHI Saint Joseph Health, Good Samaritan Foundation, Kentucky Colonels, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Big Ass Fans, Kroger, and Bank of Lexington, with pro bono legal and accounting services from local firms. The organization is governed by a board chaired by founder Dr. Andrew Moore II, a retired plastic surgeon.

Name

Surgery On Sunday

Legal name

Surgery on Sunday

Website

https://surgeryonsunday.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Surgery on Sunday is a Lexington, Kentucky nonprofit that provides free outpatient surgeries to income-eligible uninsured and underinsured individuals within a 250-mile radius, delivered monthly by nearly 300 medical volunteers at Lexington Surgery Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Private individual donors contribute monetary donations to support surgical procedures. The organization receives no government assistance and relies on the generosity of private individual and corporate donors.
2. Corporate Donations: Corporate partners provide financial support and in-kind donations including supplies, equipment, and other overhead requirements.
3. Grants: The organization receives grants from granting agencies. In 2005, Surgery on Sunday was founded through a Mission and Ministry grant from Saint Joseph Hospital's parent company, Catholic Health Initiatives.
4. Fundraising Events: Annual fundraising events such as Sweat4Surgeries and The Perfect 10 Miler & 10K generate revenue. Over the last 7 years, Sweat4Surgeries has raised nearly $280,000.
5. In-Kind Donations: The organization accepts in-kind donations including surgical drapes, equipment, supplies, scrubs, medications, hygiene products, and meal donations for surgery days.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Surgery on Sunday provides free, medically necessary outpatient surgical procedures to income-eligible, uninsured or underinsured individuals who do not qualify for federal or state assistance. Services are delivered monthly at the Lexington Surgery Center by nearly 300 volunteer medical professionals and include pre-operative consultations, diagnostic testing, the surgical procedure, and post-operative follow-up care, all at zero cost to the patient.

Product overview

Surgery On Sunday operates as a single, unified nonprofit service program that provides free outpatient surgical care to income-eligible, uninsured or underinsured individuals. The organization offers a comprehensive program encompassing patient referral processing, free outpatient surgical procedures (such as gallbladder removal, hernia repair, colonoscopies, and orthopedic surgeries), volunteer coordination, and partnership with free clinics for primary care referrals. The program is supported by nearly 300 medical and administrative volunteers and operates monthly surgery days at the Lexington Surgery Center. There are no separate product tiers, modules, or technology products offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Outpatient Surgery Program A nonprofit program providing medically necessary outpatient surgical procedures at no cost to income-eligible, uninsured or underinsured individuals who do not qualify for federal or state assistance. The service bundle includes pre-operative consultations, the surgical procedure, and follow-up care delivered at the Lexington Surgery Center on the third Sunday of each month.
• Outpatient Surgical Procedures Medically necessary outpatient surgeries including gallbladder removal, hernia repair, tonsillectomies, gynecological procedures, orthopedic surgeries (ACL repair, rotator cuff repair, carpal tunnel release), circumcisions, urology, mass excision, cataract removal, and colonoscopies. All procedures are performed by volunteer medical professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 6,000 surgeries provided at no cost since inception
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Lexington Surgery CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary surgical partner providing operating rooms, equipment, and overhead requirements. Surgery on Sunday has operated one Sunday per month at their facility since 2005, making this the foundation of the surgical program.
• CHI Saint Joseph HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated office space in 2015 for administrative offices. Located on their Harrodsburg Road campus. Parent company Catholic Health Initiatives provided the founding Mission and Ministry grant in 2005.
• Lexington Diagnostic CentersupportingOthersCommunity partner that helps keep procedure costs low by providing diagnostic services.
• KentuckyOne HealthsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity healthcare partner that supports the organization in providing services to those in need.
• Lexington Medical SocietysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical society partner supporting healthcare access for the uninsured and underinsured population.
• Sturgill, Turner, Barker & Moloney, PLLCminorOthersLaw firm providing pro bono legal services and support.
• Hisle & Company, CPAminorOthersAccounting firm providing pro bono financial services.
• KrogersupportingOthersCorporate partner through Kroger Community Rewards program allowing customers to donate to the organization.
• Amazon SmilesupportingOthersCorporate partner through AmazonSmile program where a portion of purchases is donated.
• Aspire FitnesssupportingOthersFitness center that hosts the annual Sweat4Surgeries fundraising event, having raised nearly $280,000 over 7 years.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CURE International: Nonprofit operating pediatric surgical hospitals worldwide, providing free corrective surgeries for conditions like clubfoot, cleft palate, and hydrocephalus. Comparable free surgical charity serving vulnerable populations, though focused on pediatric specialty care internationally.
• Mercy Ships: Operates hospital ships delivering free surgical care to underserved populations using volunteer medical crews. Comparable free surgical charity model with volunteer clinicians, though delivered via maritime mobile platforms in developing countries.
• Remote Area Medical: Volunteer-driven nonprofit providing free dental, vision, and medical care including surgeries to underserved populations via pop-up clinics. Closest direct comparable to Surgery on Sunday's volunteer-based, free-care delivery model for uninsured and underinsured patients.
• Operation Smile: International nonprofit providing free reconstructive surgeries (primarily cleft lip/palate) using volunteer medical professionals. Comparable volunteer-driven free surgical charity model, though specialized in pediatric reconstructive surgery.
• CrossOver Healthcare Ministry: Richmond, Virginia-based nonprofit providing free healthcare services to uninsured and underinsured patients using volunteer clinicians. Comparable U.S. nonprofit free clinic model serving the working poor.
• Volunteers in Medicine: National network of free clinics staffed by volunteer medical professionals serving uninsured patients in the U.S. Comparable volunteer-driven free healthcare delivery model, though focused on primary care rather than outpatient surgery.

Others

• Americares: Health-focused humanitarian organization providing medical aid, supplies, and support to underserved communities. Enabling organization in the charitable healthcare ecosystem comparable in mission scope though not in direct service delivery.
• Direct Relief: Major humanitarian medical aid organization providing medical supplies and supporting healthcare for vulnerable populations. Adjacent enabling organization in the charitable healthcare space, though focused on supply chain rather than direct service delivery.
• National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics: Industry association for free and charitable clinics that Surgery on Sunday is a member of. Thematically related as the governing body overseeing the free clinic ecosystem in which Surgery on Sunday operates.

Emerging players

• Smile Train: Global nonprofit funding free cleft surgeries in developing countries through partnered local surgeons. Comparable free surgical charity, but Surgery on Sunday serves U.S. uninsured populations while Smile Train focuses on international cleft repair.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SurgeryOnSunday
• Facebookfacebook.com/SurgeryOnSunday
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/surgery-on-sunday-inc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Surgery On Sunday