A $10 million Zucker family match will fund a Long Island hospital's newborn unit

The Donald and Barbara Zucker Family Foundation has committed $10 million to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip, New York, as a dollar-for-dollar match to expand its newborn intensive care unit, the hospital announced on October 22.

It is the largest philanthropic gift in the hospital's history, according to Catholic Health, the Long Island system that runs Good Samaritan. The money will help expand and modernize the hospital's Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the hospital unit for newborns who need specialized intensive care.

How does the match work?

Community gifts are matched dollar for dollar. Catholic Health said it is seeking the first $2.5 million in qualifying community commitments by the end of this year, as part of a four-year effort to secure $10 million in community support, and those gifts will be matched under the terms of the challenge.

If the full community goal is met, the gift and the matching pledges together would come to $20 million. The announcement did not give a total project cost, a construction timeline or the number of NICU beds.

What will the money build?

A larger, more private unit. The new NICU is planned to have advanced medical equipment and technology, private patient rooms, and specialized spaces for family counseling, respite and support, Catholic Health said. Good Samaritan has the only Level III NICU on the South Shore of Suffolk County and is a regional destination for women with high-risk pregnancies. It delivered more than 2,500 babies in 2025, and its NICU cares for hundreds of newborns each year, the system said.

"Our family experienced the need for world-class NICU care first hand," Barbara Hrbek Zucker said in the announcement. She said her youngest granddaughter needed specialized care at birth and is now thriving.

"The care provided in a NICU extends far beyond sophisticated technology," said Dr. Justin Lundbye, president of Good Samaritan University Hospital. Gary Havican, Catholic Health's interim president and CEO and chief operating officer, said the system is "deeply grateful for the Zucker Family's generosity."

What can other campaigns learn?

Set a near-term milestone. In our view, the useful detail is a $2.5 million target by December 31. A four-year match can drift; an early deadline gives donors a reason to act during year-end giving season and gives the hospital an early read on whether the full goal is realistic. Compare the camp match whose funder doubled it after its rules worked, and Larry Gies's $100 million matching pledge at Illinois, which has no published deadline.

Donors considering a gift can ask what counts as a "qualifying" commitment, whether multiyear pledges are matched when made or when paid, and what happens to unmatched money if the community goal falls short. The announcement did not answer those questions.