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.
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
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.
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.
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.
$55M
$1.3B
$214.4M
$55M
Most grants fall between $163K and $792K, with a median of $288K.
25th Percentile
$163K
Median
$288K
75th Percentile
$792K
About 100% of grants go to recipients in SD.
BILL GASSEN
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All recent grants shown go to recipients in the United States, and the recipient country distribution is 100% U.S. Giving is concentrated in South Dakota, which is also the top state by grant count. The grants are centered in Sioux Falls, including Sanford Medical Center, Sanford Health Network, Sanford Research, Sanford Clinic, Sanford Home Health, and Sanford World Clinics. The geography reflects a local, system-based pattern rather than multi-state or international distribution.
It funds Sanford Health system entities, especially hospital operations, clinical network support, research, home health, and world clinics. Recent grants include repeated awards to Sanford Medical Center, Sanford Health Network, Sanford Research, Sanford Clinic, Sanford Home Health, and Sanford World Clinics.
The recent grants list shows 18 grants and all 18 went to U.S. recipients, for 100% of the distribution. The grant record provided does not show any non-U.S. recipients.
The recent record shows recurring support. Sanford Research appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Sanford Health Network appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Sanford Home Health appears in all three years; and Sanford World Clinics appears in all three years as well.
Typical grants are substantial: the p25 is $162,981, the median is $287,586, and the p75 is $792,313. The distribution also includes very large system-level awards, such as multimillion-dollar grants to Sanford Medical Center.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SANFORD MEDICAL CENTER | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $53,392,425 | 2025 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD HEALTH NETWORK | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $493,727 | 2025 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD RESEARCH | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $489,680 | 2025 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD HOME HEALTH | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $312,954 | 2025 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD CLINIC | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $273,289 | 2025 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD WORLD CLINICS | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $49,086 | 2025 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD MEDICAL CENTER | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $45,744,968 | 2024 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD HEALTH NETWORK | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $1,919,376 | 2024 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD CLINIC | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $416,625 | 2024 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD RESEARCH | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $402,045 | 2024 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD HOME HEALTH | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $259,943 | 2024 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD WORLD CLINICS | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $68,725 | 2024 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD MEDICAL CENTER | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $34,542,656 | 2023 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD RESEARCH | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $315,230 | 2023 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD HOME HEALTH | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $236,211 | 2023 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD CLINIC | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $175,248 | 2023 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD HEALTH NETWORK | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $126,181 | 2023 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
| SANFORD WORLD CLINICS | SIOUX FALLS, SD | $54,939 | 2023 | SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III |
SANFORD MEDICAL CENTER
$53,392,425SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD HEALTH NETWORK
$493,727SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD RESEARCH
$489,680SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD HOME HEALTH
$312,954SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD CLINIC
$273,289SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD WORLD CLINICS
$49,086SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD MEDICAL CENTER
$45,744,968SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD HEALTH NETWORK
$1,919,376SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD CLINIC
$416,625SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD RESEARCH
$402,045SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD HOME HEALTH
$259,943SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD WORLD CLINICS
$68,725SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD MEDICAL CENTER
$34,542,656SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD RESEARCH
$315,230SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD HOME HEALTH
$236,211SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD CLINIC
$175,248SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD HEALTH NETWORK
$126,181SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III
SANFORD WORLD CLINICS
$54,939SEE FORM 990, PAGE 2, PART III