Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen shared heartwarming news Tuesday, announcing that the Patricia Allen Fund surpassed $17 million in donations to Golisano Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, marking a remarkable milestone for a charitable movement inspired by his late grandmother.
What began as an emotional response from Bills Mafia after Patricia Allen’s death in 2020 has grown into one of the NFL’s most successful player-driven charitable efforts, with more than 60,000 donors contributing from all 50 states and 10 countries.
Josh Allen and the Patricia Allen Fund Reach Milestone
“The Patricia Allen Fund, fueled by Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s leadership and over 60,000 donors and Bills fans, announced that in just over five years, more than $17 million now has been raised for Golisano Children’s Hospital of Buffalo,” Schefter posted Tuesday.
The fund traces its origins back to the night of Nov. 7, 2020, when Patricia Allen died unexpectedly at 80. The next afternoon, Allen turned in one of the best performances of his career, throwing for 415 yards and accounting for four touchdowns in a 44-34 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Bills fans responded by flooding Oishei Children’s Hospital with donations in $17 increments â a nod to Allen’s jersey number â and the story spread across national media to reach more than half a billion impressions, according to the Patricia Allen Fund.
“I can’t tell you how special it is to see the outpouring of support for me and my family during this tough time,” Allen said, according to BuffaloBills.com. “The donations made to OCH in honor of my grandmother would make her so proud. Thank you Bills Mafia!”
By the end of 2020, contributions had cleared $1 million. In December of that year, the Patricia Allen Fund was formally established with input from Allen and his family to channel all proceeds toward the hospital’s critical care mission: emergency, trauma and intensive care units. The goal, as stated by the fund, was to help kids “get back to being kids,” according to the fund’s official history.
Patricia Allen Fund Growth Thanks to Bills Mafia
The fund’s growth since those first weeks has come through a long chain of initiatives. A 2021 partnership between the Buffalo Bills, Fisher-Price and Wegmans produced a limited-edition “Little People Let’s Go Buffalo!” figure set â $700,000 raised, with all proceeds directed to the hospital. The Patricia Allen Pediatric Recovery Wing opened on the hospital’s 10th floor that November.
February 2022 produced a striking twist: more than 17,000 Kansas City Chiefs fans donated nearly $500,000 after eliminating the Bills from the playoffs, contributing in $13 increments. Allen’s Cash App Bitcoin Quarterback Challenge that April generated an additional $700,000. West Herr Auto Group followed in October 2022 with the fund’s largest single gift â $2,000,017 â establishing the West Herr Campus Crossway on the hospital’s second floor.
Golisano Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, formerly John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, is one of a small number of freestanding pediatric facilities in New York State. It holds a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center designation, operates a 64-bed Level III NICU and serves patients throughout Western New York and parts of Southern Ontario. The hospital took its current name in January 2026 after philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano donated $50 million, the largest gift in the institution’s history.
Six years in, the fund inspired by Patricia Allen is still gathering donations at a remarkable pace.
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