Little Giraffe Foundation Names 2025 NICU Support Grant Recipients

The nonprofit donates a total of $25,900 in grant funding to 26 medical institutions and nonprofit organizations to support NICU patients and their families.

CHICAGO, Nov. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Little Giraffe Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to funding neonatal research and supporting families and premature babies in the NICU, today announced the recipients of its 2025 NICU Support Grants.

Since 2011, the Little Giraffe Foundation has delivered hospital gift bags to more than 34,000 families, awarded over 190 NICU support grants, and provided more than $350,000 in medical research funding. Every dollar donated directly supports NICU families through essential supplies, transportation assistance, comfort items, and programs that promote bonding, development, and emotional well-being.

"We are continually moved by the generosity of our supporters," said Amanda Santoro, co-founder and president of the Little Giraffe Foundation. "Because of them, we are able to expand our support to 26 NICUs and nonprofit partners this year. These programs provide real comfort during moments of deep uncertainty, and our goal is always to reach as many families as possible."

2025 NICU Support Grant Recipients

These are the 26 organizations receiving funding and the programs the grants will support:

• David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA — $1,000 to support the NICU Transportation Assistance Program, helping families with travel to and from the NICU.
  
  
• There With Care, Boulder, CO — $1,000 to purchase car seats for families graduating from the NICU.
  
  
• Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, IL — $1,000 to assemble maternal sunshine packets, including comfort items and essential supplies for caregivers.
  
  
• Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, Oakland, CA — $1,000 to support a gas card program, helping NICU families pay for fuel and other essential expenses.
  
  
• UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, CA — $1,000 to create a NICU family library, allowing families to read to their babies at the bedside to support early language development, brain growth, and bonding.
  
  
• Kravis Children's Hospital at Mount Sinai, New York, NY — $1,000 to purchase books in multiple languages for NICU families, ensuring parents can read to their babies in their native language and support bonding and early development.
  
  
• Kootenai Health, Coeur d'Alene, ID — $1,000 to purchase specialized swaddle sacks that offer comfort for preterm and medically fragile infants.
  
  
• Carter G. Cares, Parkville, MD — $1,000 to provide gas cards for NICU families traveling long distances, helping families with essential transportation support.
  
  
• Capital Health Medical Center, Hopewell, NJ — $900 to purchase DandeLION Medical Dandle ROO2 positioning tools that support the musculoskeletal, sensory, and neuromotor development of premature infants.
  
  
• Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, Olympia Fields, IL — $1,000 to provide gas and food cards for NICU families facing long-distance travel and extended stays, easing financial strain and supporting more frequent parent visits.
  
  
• Houston Methodist West Hospital, Houston, TX — $1,000 to support the "Tiny Steps NICU Family Support Program" by providing transportation stipends and meal vouchers that reduce financial stress and encourage caregiver involvement.
  
  
• The Tiny Miracles Foundation, Darien, CT — $1,000 to provide holiday meals for NICU families, helping create moments of comfort and connection during a difficult season.
  
  
• Sanford Medical Center, Fargo, ND — $1,000 to purchase board books for the "Tiny Tales" NICU reading program, supporting early language development, bonding, and parent-infant connection.
  
  
• St. Luke's University Health Network, Bethlehem, PA — $1,000 to provide gas and food gift cards for NICU families, helping ease financial strain during their infant's hospitalization.
  
  
• Franciscan Health Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN — $1,000 to purchase gas cards for the NICU Transportation Fund, helping families cover travel costs so they can be present and involved in their baby's care.
  
  
• Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ — $1,000 to purchase medical-grade Boppy positioner pillows that support safe positioning and comfort for NICU infants.
  
  
• Penn Medicine Chester County, West Chester, PA — $1,000 to purchase programmable speakers, allowing parents to record comforting audio messages that support bonding and developmental care for NICU infants.
  
  
• Jefferson Abington Hospital, Philadelphia, PA — $1,000 to provide breast pumps and essential supplies for NICU families, supporting families as they prepare for a safe transition home.
  
  
• Madison Hospital, Madison, AL — $1,000 to provide infant CPR kits and hands-on training for families in the Level II nursery, covering many of the babies cared for each year.
  
  
• Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Danville, PA — $1,000 to provide gas gift cards for NICU families, helping ease the travel demands of parents with infants facing extended hospital stays.
  
  
• Delta Health Alliance, Stoneville, MS — $1,000 to provide NICU Care Bundles containing travel support, breastfeeding support, or transition-to-home supplies for families based on their individual needs.
  
  
• University of Washington Medical Center – Northwest Campus, Seattle, WA — $1,000 to purchase a hospital-grade rocking chair for the "Comfort in Motion" program, supporting therapeutic soothing, bonding, and regulation for newborns in the NICU.
  
  
• Capital Health Medical Center, Hopewell, NJ — $1,000 to support the "Celebrating Our Little Fighters" program, providing photo supplies, costumes, and craft materials that help NICU families mark holidays and special milestones.
  
  
• Gabriela Grace Foundation, Atlanta, GA — $1,000 to provide "Little Fighters" gift baskets with keepsake blankets, NICU journals or milestone cards, and resources to support families through the NICU journey.
  
  
• Prentice Women's Hospital, Chicago, IL — $1,000 to provide memory-making kits, including keepsake hand-casting materials and fingerprint charms, giving NICU families meaningful opportunities to create lasting memories.
  
  
• Silver Cross Hospital, New Lenox, IL — $1,000 to launch a "Milestone Beads Program", providing necklaces and milestone beads that help NICU families celebrate key moments and create meaningful keepsakes from their NICU journey.

"This was a record year for grant requests, and narrowing down such a deserving group is always the hardest part," said Little Giraffe Foundation co-founder Mike Santoro. "Every application reflects a program to help a family fighting through some of their toughest days. We're grateful to our supporters for enabling us to make a meaningful difference where it's needed most."

To learn more about the Little Giraffe Foundation and its efforts to aid in NICU patient and family assistance, as well as neonatal medical research, please visit: http://www.littlegiraffefoundation.org/ and follow the organization's news on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/LittleGiraffeFoundation.

About the Little Giraffe Foundation:
The Little Giraffe Foundation is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Chicago, dedicated to supporting parents and patients of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Since 2011, the foundation has delivered gift bags to more than 34,000 families during their stay in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), awarded 190 support grants to dozens of hospitals across the country, and funded over $350,000 in medical research.

Media Contact:
Amanda Santoro
Little Giraffe Foundation
[email protected]

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SOURCE Little Giraffe Foundation