Philanthropist Tom Golisano, through previously committed funding totaling $75 million, announced a milestone toward a planned co-located facility that would unite the Mary Cariola Center School with the University of Rochester (UR) Golisano Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Institute. The announcement positions the convergence of those commitments as enabling planning for an integrated campus designed to bring multiple IDD services and supports into a single, coordinated setting.
Funding Commitments and Timeline
The release states the $75 million total includes two commitments across consecutive years:
A $50 million commitment in 2024 to establish the UR Golisano IDD Institute
A $25 million gift in 2025 to Mary Cariola Center
Together, the commitments are framed as a planning catalyst for a comprehensive, co-located model intended to span education, research, clinical care, workforce training, and family supports.
Site Review and Planned Scope
Marketplace Mall is being evaluated as a potential site for the planned campus. UR officials are conducting due diligence, with more details expected later. In the foundation’s newsroom version of the announcement, the intended benefits include improved coordination for families, strengthened educational programming through access to clinical and research expertise, and expanded workforce development and professional training opportunities.
What It Could Mean for Providers
For providers in the region, the immediate implications are strategic. A campus-style model that links a school and an academic IDD institute in a co-located setting can shift referral networks, attract specialized clinicians, and create new training rotations and collaborative programs that influence workforce supply. If executed, the model could serve as a visible proof-of-concept for integrated IDD capacity-building. The announcement highlights an approach where the “workforce” solution is not only wages, but also training pipelines, interdisciplinary clinical models, and research-to-practice loops grounded in real-world educational and therapeutic settings.
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