The Upstate Foundation, Inc.
Where your gift impacts the health of the entire region
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The challenges of improving the health of our community change every year. There is always a need for more resources: more scholarship dollars to ensure there are sufficient numbers of qualified health care providers; more support for medical research to eliminate diseases; more support for programs that are needed by the community but are not financially viable (burn care, poison control, chronic disease support groups, outreach programs for at risk populations); support for patients and families that are struggling under the rising costs of health care; support to combat new illnesses and community problems such as the opioid addiction crisis; support to address the needs of an aging population and their caretakers, including brain health. In 2023 & 2024, the primary focus campaign is increasing resources for child and adolescent mental health, addressing a local and national health care crisis. This includes working with other local health care agencies.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital
Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital provides safe, effective, innovative and family centered care for children in a vast 17-county region of upstate New York, plus parts of Pennsylvania and Vermont. As the Region’s only Level 1 Trauma and Burn Center, Upstate offers a complete range of health care services for children from birth to 19 years of age. With 71 pediatric beds, the Children’s Hospital averages 100,000 pediatric patient visits each year.
Joslin Diabetes Center at Upstate Medical University
The Joslin Diabetes Center at the SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse opened in 1995 as the eleventh affiliate of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, and the only one of its kind in upstate New York.
An internationally recognized leader in diabetes treatment, research, and education, the Joslin Diabetes Center is affiliated with Harvard Medical School and has been caring for the medical and emotional needs of people with diabetes since it was founded in 1898.
Upstate Cancer Center
Upstate University Hospital offers the most comprehensive cancer treatments in all of Central New York. This broad range of cancer treatments includes programs in thoracic, breast, brain, spine, blood, bone, gynecologic and genitourinary. It is the only facility in the region where pediatric patients with cancer or blood disorders are treated.
These programs have been collectively accredited by the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer, a distinction awarded to very few hospitals in the United States. University Hospital is the only hospital in Central New York to receive this distinction.
Clark Burn Center
The Clark Burn Center is a six-bed adult Intensive Care Unit. Pediatric burn patients are cared for at the Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital by both burn and pediatrics teams. The center is a regional referral center providing state-of-the-art burn care.
The Center serves over 37 counties from as far north as the St. Lawrence River to northern Pennsylvania, and from Rochester to Albany, including the northern areas of Pennsylvania and parts of Canada. The Center cares for both adult and pediatric patients in the inpatient and outpatient settings.
Where we work
Awards
Circle of Excellence Award for Educational Fundraising & Overall Performance 2003
CASE (Council of Advancement and Support of Education)
Team of the Year 2005
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Nonprofit Impact Award 2021
CNY Business Journal
Team of the Year 2015
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Economic Champion 2021
Centerstate CEO
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of meal/gas cards given to families while a child is staying in the hospital.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Caregivers, Families, Parents
Related Program
Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of dollars spent on mission areas of patient care, medical research and healthcare education.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total dollars received in contributions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Upstate Foundation is formed to receive and administer gifts and bequests exclusively for charitable purposes in the central region of Upstate New York with the focus on (1) provision of patient health care, (2) the education of health care providers, (3) scientific research, and (4) community health and well-being. The Foundation's commitment to its mission is realized through the enhancement of professional education, research, patient care, faculty development and student aid through: 1) private giving and fundraising, timely distribution of grants & awards; 2) development of programs to meet the financial and educational needs of students, faculty, departments and programs of Upstate Medical University; 3) supporting programs and initiatives which enhance community health and well-being and 4) the creation of personal and professional growth opportunities for Foundation members and staff, enabling them to develop the skills to implement the Foundation mission effectively.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Upstate Foundation uses a template of multiple year strategic goals to define specific tasks in fulfillment of its primary missions. This strategic plan is defined in three phases: 1-2 years, 2-3 years and 3-5 years. Specific tasks are identified within each phase with time frames for completion and Foundation professional and support staff assigned accordingly as individuals or in teams. Progress is reviewed at monthly meetings and indicators of accomplishment noted. As tasks are completed, new tasks with new time frames and staffing requirements are identified and assigned. The process is a dynamic one which has served the Foundation and the internal and external public it serves effectively and efficiently.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Foundation's ability to achieve its goals is keyed to its strong, experienced and committed staff of 25 full- and part-time members working with a 44-member Board of Directors who manage over 1000 funds and assets over $230 million. The Foundation has access to several professional fundraising and consulting resources whose programs, webinars and technologies provide the latest in technical and personal assistance to the staff. The Foundation has a strong succession plan for handling the retirement of long time employees, which has been working well over the past several years and is projected to continue for several more.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2022, the Foundation began the silent phase of a $3.2M campaign to address the local and national crisis of mental health services for children and adolescents. In 2019 the Foundation began a $6M campaign to expand the Golisano Center for Special Needs. GCSN serves the region for diagnosis and treatment for children with special needs. This expansion will greatly increase the ability of the Center to see more patients and families expeditiously. As of 2022, the campaign exceeded this goal early and the Center has moved to its new, expanded facility. During the pandemic, the Upstate Foundation raised significant dollars to support both patients and hospital staff.
In 2021, the Foundation awarded over $8M to support its mission and the central New York community, with a 5-year average of awarding $6.8M. In 2017 the Foundation raised over $16M, the highest achieved in its history. 2016-17 also included a campaign to enhance Upstate's maternity and nursery unit. 2015 saw the completion of a $1M campaign to help renovate space for a separate pediatric emergency department at Upstate. The 5-year campaign toward the new Upstate Cancer Center exceeded its $15M fundraising goal by more than $2M.
2019 saw the beginning of a Donor Advised Fund initiative that has grown significantly, offering donors the ability to continue to support the charities that are important to them while achieving their tax management goals.
A Legacy Giving program launched in 2016 and has expanded to attract donors to include Upstate Foundation in their estate planning. The structure and staffing for a Grateful Patient and Family Program was established in 2014; growth of this program continues to be a major priority.
Future fundraising projects will be based on the results of feasibility studies.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
The Upstate Foundation, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 01/25/2023
Dr. Rita Reicher
Retired, Knowledge Systems & Research, Inc.
Juli G. Boeheim
Community Volunteer
Chung-Taik Chung
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Gregory L Eastwood
SUNY Upstate Medical Univ.
Maureen Dunn McGlynn
Cohen Compagni Beckman Appler & Knoll, PLLC
J. Daniel Pluff
The Pluff Hooley Black Group at Morgan Stanley
Paul Mello
Solvay Bank
Dodie Vlassis
Community Volunteer
Stephen Y L Chow
Pinnacle Investments, LLC
Andrew Palmer
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Michael Ratner
SUNY Upstate Medical University
William Killory
White Management Corporation
Gail McIntyre
The Bonadio Group
John Murad
Hancock Estabrook, LLP
Scott Matukas
Logicore Strategies
Karen Bullivant
HKS Consulting
Chris Spera
McLane Northeast
Joseph L LaLonde
Community Volunteer
Stephen P McCoy
KPH Healthcare Services, Inc.
John F Brogan
L&JG Stickley, Inc.
David K Schneckenburger
Thompson & Johnson Equipment Co., Inc.
Joshua P Solomon
Beerboard
Eric J Smith
ex-Officio, Upstate Medical University
Mantosh Dewan
ex-Officio, President, Upstate Medical University
Nathan Andrews
Morse Manufacturing Co. Inc.
Gary Grossman
Grossman St. Amour CPAs PLLC
April Stone
CNY Infusion Services
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes