About Sanford Health Foundation
The Sanford Health Foundation directs almost all of its funding to entities within the Sanford health system, prioritizing clinical care, system operations, translational research, community health services and global outreach tied to that network. Grants are institutional and operational in nature, supporting hospitals, clinics, home health services, research arms and affiliated world clinics rather than independent nonprofits. The foundation's giving is locally concentrated (centered on Sioux Falls / Sanford system) and focused on sustaining and expanding the health system's capacity and programs.
Focus Areas
Support for Sanford Medical Center hospital operations and capitalSystem-wide clinical network strengthening (Sanford Health Network and Sanford Clinic)Translational and clinical research through Sanford ResearchCommunity and home-based health services (Sanford Home Health)Global/outreach clinics operated by the Sanford system (Sanford World Clinics)
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated: few, very large grants to affiliated institutions within a single health system; repeated multi-grant support to the same internal grantees rather than broad external diversification.
Notable grantees: Sanford Medical Center, Sanford Health Network, Sanford Research, Sanford Clinic, Sanford Home Health
About Sanford Health Foundation
Sanford Health Foundation’s largest recent grant was $53,392,425 to Sanford Medical Center in 2025, and its filing history shows that pattern is not isolated. The foundation directs almost all of its support into Sanford Health system entities, with hospital operations, network strengthening, research, home health, and global outreach all appearing in recent grants. That makes it a system-centered funder rather than a broad community grantmaker. The recent record also shows repeated support for other Sanford affiliates. Sanford Health Network received $1,919,376 in 2024 and $493,727 in 2025, while Sanford Research received $489,680 in 2025 after prior awards of $402,045 in 2024 and $315,230 in 2023. Sanford Clinic and Sanford Home Health also appear across multiple years, pointing to ongoing institutional support rather than isolated awards. Leadership is listed under Bill Gassen, and the foundation’s current assets and annual grants place it among large health-system funders. Its giving is local, with all recent grants shown to recipients in South Dakota and centered on Sioux Falls-based Sanford organizations.
What Sanford Health Foundation Funds
The foundation backs hospital infrastructure and operations through Sanford Medical Center, including the $34,542,656 grant in 2023 before larger follow-on awards in later years. It also supports the broader clinical network: Sanford Health Network received $1,919,376 in 2024 and $126,181 in 2023. Research is another clear priority. Sanford Research received $315,230 in 2023, $402,045 in 2024, and $489,680 in 2025, showing repeated support over three years. Care delivery beyond the hospital setting also appears in the grant record, with Sanford Home Health funded in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Sanford World Clinics receiving grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025 for the system’s outreach operations.
How Sanford Health Foundation Gives
Typical grants are large institutional awards, with a p25 of $162,981, a median of $287,586, and a p75 of $792,313. The recent record shows repeated support to the same Sanford affiliates across 2023, 2024, and 2025, indicating an ongoing internal funding pattern rather than one-off awards. The foundation is a health-system foundation, and its grants are operational and programmatic within that system. No application process is indicated in the provided data.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$55M
Total Assets
$1.3B
Total Revenue
$214.4M
Total Expenses
$55M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $163K and $792K, with a median of $288K.
25th Percentile
$163K
Median
$288K
75th Percentile
$792K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
About 100% of grants go to recipients in SD.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
BILL GASSEN
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