UNC Health Foundation

What UNC Health Foundation does

UNC Health Foundation is the philanthropic arm of UNC Health and the UNC School of Medicine, established to raise and deploy charitable funds in support of clinical care, medical research, and health professions education across North Carolina. Founded in 1949 and headquartered at 123 West Franklin Street, Suite 510, Chapel Hill, NC, the foundation employs approximately 60 staff and operates under a Board of Directors. Its donor-supported mission covers seven named program areas - Cancer, Children's Health, Medical Education, Global Health, Neurosciences, Advancing Health, and Corporate and Foundation Relations - as well as direct-service programs such as FoodWell (addressing patient food insecurity) and IMPACTT-NC (school-based telepsychiatry).

The foundation generates no commercial revenue; its operating model is entirely philanthropic, sourcing funds through individual donations, corporate partnerships, foundation grants, planned/legacy gifts, employee giving programs, crowdfunding platforms, and signature events such as the Reelin' for Research fishing tournament (which has raised $8M+ for pediatric cancer research since 2009). In fiscal year 2025, the foundation reported more than $140 million in gifts and commitments and disbursed more than $46 million in programmatic support. It extends its reach through the parent UNC Health system, which spans 15-20 hospitals and 900+ clinics statewide and serves a beneficiary population that includes more than 50,000 UNC Health teammates, 50,000+ gastroenterology patients annually, and 3,000+ families supported by the FoodWell program.

The foundation's customer base is highly diversified across individual donors, corporate sponsors (e.g., Wegmans, Long Beverage, Jersey Mike's), peer foundations (UnitedHealth Group, Leon Levine Foundation, The Duke Endowment, Camber Foundation, Hyundai Hope On Wheels), and patient-family communities. Distribution of funds flows through designated gifts, general Greatest Need contributions, and programmatic grants to specific departments and research initiatives within UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine. In 2022, the Rex Healthcare Foundation merged into UNC Health Foundation, expanding Wake County donor reach. Leadership transitioned in 2025 with Margaret Ann Bollmeier assuming the president and chief philanthropy officer role.

Name

UNC Health Foundation

Legal name

UNC Health Foundation

Website

https://unchealthfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

UNC Health Foundation is the philanthropic fundraising arm of UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine, raising charitable gifts to support clinical care, research, and medical education across North Carolina through events, grants, and individual donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Philanthropy

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF)

Keywords

• Healthcare philanthropy
• Medical research funding
• Nonprofit fundraising services
• Medical education grants
• Donor cultivation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chapel Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: The foundation raises funds through individual donations, corporate partnerships, foundation grants, and memorial gifts from donors supporting various healthcare initiatives at UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

UNC Health Foundation is the philanthropic arm of UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine, raising and managing charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and other foundations to fund clinical care, medical research, healthcare education, and community health programs across North Carolina. The foundation operates giving programs, donor stewardship, corporate and foundation relations, legacy planning, employee giving, an online crowdfunding platform, and signature fundraising events, distributing more than $46 million in programmatic support annually across UNC Health's 15 hospitals and 900+ clinics.

Product overview

UNC Health Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine, offering a comprehensive portfolio of giving programs and initiatives. The organization operates as a unified platform supporting healthcare philanthropy rather than a traditional product company. Key offerings include disease-specific initiatives (Cancer, Children's Health, Neurosciences), programmatic initiatives (Medical Education, Global Health, Advancing Health), and direct services (FoodWell for food insecurity, IMPACTT-NC for telepsychiatry). The Foundation facilitates giving through various mechanisms including crowdfunding, legacy planning, employee giving programs, and signature events like Reelin' for Research. The organization connects donors to impact areas across clinical care, research, and education throughout North Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reelin' for Research Annual charitable fishing tournament and signature fundraising event supporting childhood cancer research at UNC Children's, engaging community donors, corporate sponsors, and student ambassadors.
• UNC Health FoodWell Interdisciplinary supplemental health and well-being program designed to address food insecurity among patients and families at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, providing nutritious food resources and addressing nutritional needs of vulnerable patients.
• IMPACTT-NC (IMProving Adolescent and Child health Through Telepsychiatry in North Carolina)
• Legacy Planning
• Employee Giving Programs
• Crowdfunding & Community Fundraising

Quantifiable outcome

• Raised $140 million+ in FY25
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 major and flagship.

• WegmansmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2026Ongoing partnership through annual Fill the Pantry food drive. Wegmans customers and employees collected 2,454 pounds of non-perishable food in February 2026 for UNC FoodWell program. Partnership has grown from 600 pounds in first year to record amounts.
• Long BeveragemajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Longtime supporter through Corona Cares campaign providing holiday donations to UNC Children's pediatric hematology-oncology clinic.
• Reelin' for ResearchflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2009Annual fishing tournament that has raised $8 million+ for childhood cancer research at UNC Children's since 2009. Includes student ambassador program and community events.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Duke University Health System: Direct peer as the primary competing academic medical center in North Carolina with its own development/foundation function raising philanthropic support for Duke's hospitals and medical school. Highly comparable in mission, donor base, and North Carolina regional market.
• Atrium Health Foundation: Direct peer as the philanthropic arm of Atrium Health (formerly Carolinas HealthCare System), a major NC-based health system. Comparable in raising funds for clinical care, research, and medical education across a large regional footprint.
• Wake Forest Baptist Health Foundation: Direct peer as the development arm of Wake Forest Baptist Health, an academic medical center in North Carolina with similar fundraising focus on cancer, children's health, and medical research.
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center Development: Direct peer as a major academic medical center philanthropy function with comparable portfolio of disease-specific initiatives, medical education programs, and endowment-driven research support.
• Emory University Woodruff Health Sciences Center Foundation: Direct peer as an academic medical philanthropy operation supporting research, patient care, and medical education at a major Southeastern university medical center. Similar structure with named funds, endowed professorships, and corporate partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Massachusetts General Hospital Development Office: Broad incumbent peer as a Harvard-affiliated hospital philanthropy operation with similar disease-specific fundraising portfolio and endowed research chairs. Highly comparable in mission and program structure.
• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Foundation: Broad incumbent peer as a major academic medical center philanthropy function with comparable fundraising portfolio including cancer, heart, and neuroscience initiatives. Larger scale but similar mission and donor engagement model.
• Stanford Health Care Development: Broad incumbent peer as a major academic medical center development function with comparable focus on cancer, children's health, neurosciences, and medical education philanthropy.
• Johns Hopkins Medicine Development Office: Broad incumbent peer as a top-tier academic medical philanthropy operation supporting research, clinical care, and medical education. Comparable in mission and endowed giving programs though at significantly larger scale.
• Cleveland Clinic Foundation: Broad incumbent peer as one of the largest hospital philanthropy operations in the US, raising hundreds of millions annually for a multi-state health system. Comparable in scale and program diversity though operates across broader geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unchealthfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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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 UNC Health Foundation