Sanford Health Foundation

What Sanford Health Foundation does

Sanford Health Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Sanford Health, a private nonprofit charitable organization headquartered at The Sanford House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Founded in the wake of a 2007 transformative $400 million gift from lead philanthropist Denny Sanford, the foundation raises and manages charitable contributions to support Sanford Health's programs, research, patient services, equipment purchases, and facility construction across the upper Midwest. The foundation operates regional offices in Sioux Falls (HQ), Fargo, Bemidji, Bismarck, Black Hills, and Marshfield, each led by a Vice President and staffed by dedicated philanthropy officers, development officers, and Children's Miracle Network program directors.

The foundation runs five primary revenue streams: individual one-time and recurring donations, employee giving via payroll deduction (6,859 employee donors gave nearly $2.7 million in 2025), planned giving and bequests ($5.2 million in 2025 future commitments), corporate sponsorships and matching gifts, and event-based fundraising. Signature events include Miracle Treat Day, the Sanford International PGA TOUR Champions tournament, Roger Maris All-Star Week, and regional galas and radiothons. The foundation distributes 100% of donations locally across its giving priorities: children's care, cancer, breast health (Edith Sanford Breast Center), research and innovation, employee crisis assistance, senior services, and Sanford World Clinic international healthcare initiatives. Recognized programs include the Guardian Angel caregiver-recognition program ($10 minimum gift) and the Employee Crisis Assistance Program, which has distributed $3.38 million to 3,227 employees since inception.

The foundation has no proprietary technology platform; it operates via third-party donation infrastructure (online giving portal at give.sanfordhealthfoundation.org, PayPal, Venmo, HubSpot forms, and a payroll/PTO donation system) and uses straightforward CRM and event-management workflows typical of healthcare philanthropy organizations. Revenue in FY2025 was $91 million in philanthropic impact, backed by 20,287 donors including 7,613 first-time donors and 5,039 monthly recurring givers. The foundation's competitive position rests on regional embeddedness, the Denny Sanford brand legacy (nearly $2 billion lifetime giving), strategic affiliations (Children's Miracle Network, Good Samaritan since 2019, Marshfield Clinic integration), and enduring philanthropy programs rather than on technology or AI capabilities.

Name

Sanford Health Foundation

Legal name

Sanford Health Foundation

Website

https://sanfordhealthfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Sanford Health Foundation is a private nonprofit that raises philanthropic support for Sanford Health's hospitals and programs across the upper Midwest, operating regional offices in Sioux Falls, Fargo, Bemidji, Bismarck, Black Hills, and Marshfield, and managing donation streams from individuals, employees, estates, and corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Philanthropy

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospitals, Clinics & Charitable Healthcare Providers (BPAGACAB)

Keywords

• Healthcare philanthropy
• Charitable giving programs
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Donor stewardship services
• Planned giving programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Sioux Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute one-time or recurring gifts to support healthcare priorities. In 2025, the foundation received contributions from 20,287 donors including 7,613 first-time donors and 5,039 monthly gift donors.
2. Employee Giving: Sanford Health employees contribute through payroll deduction programs. In 2025, 6,859 employee donors gave nearly $2.7 million through the employee giving campaign.
3. Planned Giving & Bequests: Donors include Sanford Health in their estate plans through bequests, retirement assets, and life insurance designations. In 2025, 8 donors included Sanford Health in their estate plans representing more than $5.2 million in future gift commitments.
4. Corporate Giving & Sponsorships: Corporate partners sponsor signature events and establish matching gift programs to amplify their charitable impact. Minimum endowment funds of $25,000 for individuals/families and $25,000 for corporate donors create endowed funds for ongoing support.
5. Event Fundraising: The foundation organizes and hosts fundraising events including galas, golf tournaments, radiothons, and community events. Signature events include Miracle Treat Day, Sanford International, Roger Maris All-Star Week, and regional galas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sanford Health Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Sanford Health, raising and managing charitable donations to fund healthcare programs, research, patient services, and facilities across the upper Midwest. It accepts individual donations, employee giving, planned/legacy gifts, and corporate sponsorships, then deploys 100% of funds locally to support priorities such as children's care, cancer treatment, breast health, research and innovation, senior services, behavioral health, and Sanford World Clinic international healthcare partnerships.

Product overview

Sanford Health Foundation is a philanthropic organization supporting Sanford Health's healthcare delivery across the Upper Midwest. Rather than a unified software product, the foundation operates multiple giving programs and manages fundraising for healthcare facilities. Core programs include Sanford Children's Hospital (regional children's hospital network), Sanford Cancer Center and Roger Maris Cancer Center (cancer treatment), and Edith Sanford Breast Center (breast cancer research initiative). Patient support services include Guardian Angel caregiver recognition, Healing Arts and Child Life programs, Nurse Navigation, and Employee Crisis Assistance. The foundation manages patient lodging facilities (Peltier Lodge, Cattails Place), international healthcare through Sanford World Clinic, and annual fundraising events including Miracle Treat Day, Sanford International golf tournament, and Roger Maris All-Star Week. All donations stay local to support regional priorities across six communities: Sioux Falls, Fargo, Bismarck, Bemidji, Black Hills, and Marshfield.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Edith Sanford: Breast cancer research and patient care initiative established through a $100 million gift from Denny Sanford, dedicated to advancing prevention and treatment of breast cancer.
• Sanford World Clinic
• Guardian Angel Program
• Employee Giving

Products and services

• Guardian Angel Program
• Employee Giving Program
• Employee Crisis Assistance Program
• Planned Giving / Legacy Gifts
• Miracle Treat Day
• Sanford International
• Roger Maris All-Star Week
• Sanford World Clinic
• Tax-Smart Giving Vehicles

Quantifiable outcome

• $91 million in philanthropic impact in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Good SamaritancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019In 2019, Sanford Health and Good Samaritan joined together to create one organization devoted to improving the human condition at every stage of life. The merger combined Good Samaritan's network of senior living centers, nursing and rehab facilities, and affordable housing with Sanford patient services.
• Ghana Ministry of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012World Clinic has worked since 2012 in partnership with the Ministry of Health and local stakeholders across Ghana to build sustainable primary healthcare infrastructure including 4 hub clinics, 105 physicians and staff, and 150,000 patient visits annually.
• Samaritan's FeetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Samaritan's Feet, a global humanitarian aid organization, to offer free shoes to children ages 9-14 along with HPV vaccines at community and school-based shoe distribution events in Ghana. This collaborative initiative addresses cervical cancer prevention through vaccine access and awareness.
• Children's Miracle Network HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSanford Children's Hospital is the region's only Children's Miracle Network Hospital, partnering to raise funds and awareness for pediatric healthcare. More than 250 pediatricians and specialists collaborate across 35+ specialties supported by CMN funds.
• University of Ghana and University of Cape CoastminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelationships with the Universities of Ghana and Cape Coast to expand biomedical research opportunities in Ghana as part of World Clinic program.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Boston Children's Hospital Trust: Philanthropic arm of Boston Children's Hospital, a leading pediatric hospital. Highly comparable given Sanford's heavy emphasis on children's care (Children's Miracle Network partnership, Sanford Children's Hospital across multiple regions) and similar cause-specific fundraising for pediatric specialties.
• M Health Fairview Foundation: Fundraising arm of M Health Fairview, a major Upper Midwest healthcare system. Directly comparable as a regional nonprofit healthcare foundation operating in Minnesota and surrounding states, supporting research, patient care, and community health priorities.
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation: Philanthropic foundation supporting CHOP, a leading children's hospital. Comparable as a regional children's hospital foundation with major-gift programs, planned giving, and event-based fundraising to support pediatric research, NICU, and specialty care.
• Cleveland Clinic Foundation: The fundraising arm of Cleveland Clinic, a large nonprofit academic medical system. Comparable in operating as a hospital-affiliated foundation with major-gift campaigns, planned giving, and event-based fundraising supporting clinical priorities across a multi-state footprint.
• Essentia Health Foundation: Philanthropic arm of Essentia Health, another large Upper Midwest health system. Highly comparable given overlapping geographic footprint across Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, similar cause priorities, and a comparable fundraising model combining major gifts, employee giving, and events.
• Mayo Clinic Development: The philanthropic arm of Mayo Clinic, one of the largest U.S. healthcare systems. Directly comparable as a nonprofit foundation raising philanthropic funds for a major regional healthcare system serving patients across multiple states with similar priority areas (research, patient care, education).

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: National voluntary health organization focused on cancer. Comparable as a major disease-focused nonprofit raising philanthropic funds for cancer research, patient services, and program support through events, major gifts, and planned giving across the country.
• Susan G. Komen: National nonprofit focused on breast cancer. Comparable as a major cause-specific health philanthropy running signature events (Race for the Cure) and direct-donation campaigns, with similar structured giving programs akin to Sanford's Edith Sanford Breast Center.
• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital / ALSAC: The fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Comparable as a national nonprofit supporting pediatric care and research, with a mature event-based fundraising model (Danny Thomas Marathon) analogous to Sanford's signature events.

Regional players

• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: National fundraising partner for children's hospitals. Already a core partner of Sanford Health Foundation; comparable as the broader ecosystem organization channeling corporate donations and event-based fundraising to member children's hospitals, including Sanford Children's.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SanfordHealthFoundationSF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sanford-health-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries12 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 Sanford Health Foundation