University Foundation Relations Overview

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SEEKING SUPPORT

FROM FOUNDATIONS

Tim Wuchter

Senior Director, Foundation Relations

Office of Foundation Relations

University Advancement

October 1, 2020

Office of Foundation Relations: Overview

■

Centrally functioning office that works across all colleges and units; focus is on university-level

initiatives.

■

Works to build mutually beneficial partnerships with and to secure gift and grant income from private

foundations and public charities (not corporate foundations).

■

Maintains positive, university-level relationships with foundations that are currently supporting or that

have the potential to support MSU.

■

Coordinates foundation campus visits as well as external meetings with foundation leadership and

program staff.

■

Provides advice and guidance on potential foundation prospects for university-wide initiatives as well as

for faculty-driven projects, initiatives, and research.

■

Identifies and disseminates foundation funding opportunities.

■

Works closely with the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation on foundation funding

opportunities, particularly institutionally limited foundation awards and competitions.

■

On Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) routing for review and approval of Proposal Documents (PD) for

all foundation proposals routed through OSP.

■

Pursues these goals through a core group of centrally located staff as well as focused staff embedded

within key colleges/units (Agriculture and Natural Resources, Business, Engineering, International

Studies and Programs).

Office of Foundation Relations: Team

■

Tim Wuchter, Senior Director

–

Manages the Foundation Relations Office and Team

–

Focuses on top-level national foundations

–

Collaborates with the Office of Institutionally Limited Proposals on annual foundation

awards and competitions

■

Larry Wallach, Associate Director

–

Focuses on foundations within the State of Michigan (with a strong focus on Detroit

and Southeast Michigan) as well as select national-level foundations.

■

Adam Kingston, Associate Director

–

Focuses on smaller national-level foundations as well as on emerging non-traditional

foundations and funder consortiums.

■

Patty Gonzales, Research Analyst

–

Provides research support, prospect analytics, and business intelligence.

■

Chery Moran, Administrative Assistant

–

Provides administrative support to the Senior Director and team

College-Based Corporate/Foundation Relations (CFR) Team

■

Jennifer Jennings, Associate Director CFR, College of Engineering

■

Anna Linn, Associate Director CFR, College of Business

■

Nancy Nyquist, Associate Director CFR , College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

■

OPEN, Associate Director, International Studies and Programs

For those colleges that do not have dedicated Corporate and Foundation Relations

Associate Directors, faculty members who are interested in exploring potential

foundation support are encouraged to contact the Development Office within their

respective college. That office can provide initial advice/guidance and can connect

with the Office of Foundation Relations when necessary. Each of the colleges and

major units has a Development Office and Team that focuses on securing

philanthropic funding for initiatives within that college or unit.

The Foundation Landscape: Major Trends

■

Significant numbers of new foundations are emerging, many established by high net-worth individuals in the

tech industry/Silicon Valley, that are substantially different than the traditional legacy foundations in

structure, strategic focus, and envisioned impact.

■

Many of the traditional legacy foundations are rethinking their approach and refreshing their strategies for

greater impact on addressing global challenges and threats as well as social issues.

■

A significant number of foundations are moving away from “treating a symptom” and toward “treating a root

cause.” They are looking to address systemic change.

■

Mega-grants are on the rise, spurred in part by such recent initiatives as the MacArthur Foundation’s

100&Change initiative, and many foundations are using “big bet” competitions to identify organizations to

address global grand challenges.  Interest is mainly in implementation and taking tested ideas to scale for

large-scale impact rather than on research, proof-of-concept, or locally focused initiatives.

■

Most foundations favor multidisciplinary/multi-partner collaborations.

■

Increasingly, funding is going to NGOs, advocacy groups, community-based organizations, implementing

partners, and intermediary organizations (which typically re-grant the dollars to other organizations).

■

Trend is toward fewer but larger grants.

■

Many foundations will not support indirect costs or will only support a small percentage.

The Foundation Landscape: Major Trends Cont.

■

While a number of foundations such as Kellogg and Ford have had a strong social justice/racial

equity focus for years, over the last few months many more foundations have committed to

addressing these issues:  Moving “from generosity to justice” to quote Darren Walker, President of

the Ford Foundation.

–

Major foundations such as Mellon, Packard, Hewlett, Surdna, Rockefeller Brothers, and many

others have announced significant dollar commitments to address these issues through

support of social change organizations at the national, regional, and local levels.

–

In addition, many of these foundations are refreshing their current program areas to include

a social justice/racial equity lens and will be evaluating each proposal and potential grantee

through this lens.

The Foundation Landscape: Impact of COVID

■

When the pandemic hit, most foundations reacted quickly (and continue to react) by focusing on

the needs of existing grantees, allowing them to convert program grants into operating funds and

extending deadlines for reporting.

■

In addition, foundations provided (and continue to provide) funds to support those most affected

by the disparities enhanced by the pandemic, offering support to front-line healthcare workers

and smaller nonprofits that are struggling to survive, as well as committing to pay out much more

than the annual required five percent.

■

Many Michigan foundations have suspended their usual giving priorities to help fund immediate

needs created by the pandemic as well as challenges resulting from the pandemic.  It is likely this

focus will continue at least through the end of this year (subject to how the course of events).

The Foundation Landscape: Impact of COVID.

■

It remains to be seen how foundation programming and funding will be impacted longer term.  Since

many foundations increased their payout (with a few dipping into their endowments) to address the

pressing issues presented by COVID-19, this could have an impact on the amount of grant funds

available going forward.

■

On the other hand, a strong possibility exists that many foundations will enhance existing programs or

develop new programs to address issues related to the pandemic as well as the current racial tensions

that exist in the United States.  Potential focus areas for foundations over the next year and beyond

include, but are certainly not limited to, the following:

–

Evaluation studies of the effects of COVID-19 on various populations, sectors, geographic regions

–

Racial and economic disparities, racial equity, structural racism, and social justice

–

Police and prison reform

–

Preparedness for future pandemics

–

Modeling and tracing

–

Behavioral health

–

Vaccine development

–

Shoring up smaller nonprofits that are working to address disparities and effect change

–

Online learning

Connecting with Foundations

■

Many foundations issue RFPs.  So it is important to subscribe to a foundation’s

mailing list.

■

Most foundations have moved to an initial Letter of Inquiry process, which allows the

foundation to determine alignment before a researcher spends a significant amount

of time preparing a full proposal.

■

For those foundations that do not accept unsolicited proposals, program officers will

often be open to a short conversation or email message.

■

The most effective way to get on the radar screen of national-level foundations is to

be present at major conferences and symposia at which program officers are either

keynoting/serving on panels or are in attendance and at which you are doing the

same.

Foundation Awards and Competitions

■

Research focused

■

Most are annual

■

Strong emphasis on early career faculty

■

Most have very specific eligibility requirements

■

Focus mostly on the sciences, engineering, and medical disciplines; however, a few

have a focus on the humanities and social sciences

■

Highly competitive

■

Many are institutionally limited and require nomination by the University

Foundation Awards and Competitions

■

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation

■

Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation

■

Brain and Behavior Research Foundation

■

Burroughs Wellcome Fund

■

Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation

■

Concern Foundation

■

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

■

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

■

William T. Grant Foundation

■

Greenwall Foundation

■

W. M. Keck Foundation

■

Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund

■

The Lalor Foundation

■

Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation

■

Mark Foundation for Cancer Research

■

McKnight Foundation

■

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

■

David and Lucille Packard Foundation

■

Pew Charitable Trusts

■

Research Corporation for Science

Advancement

■

Smith Richardson Foundation

■

Searle Fund

■

Simons Foundation

■

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

■

Spencer Foundation

■

Thrasher Research Fund

■

Whiting Foundation

■

Helen Hay Whitney Foundation

Foundation Awards and Competitions

■

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer

–

Early Career Research Programs (4 Award Programs)

■

Attracting and retaining the best and brightest early career scientists is critical to the

future of childhood cancer research. Funding at this stage will encourage and steer

promising researchers toward long-term careers in pediatric oncology investigation.

–

Accelerator Programs (12 Awards Programs)

■

Advancing the pace of innovative research is a priority for ALSF. We take risks to fund

proposals embracing innovation that have been deemed highly important but have not

received National Institutes of Health funding, resulting in high impact. Funding

encourages established investigators to push their research forward toward childhood

cancer breakthroughs and ultimately new clinical interventions.

–

Quality of Life and Care (3 Award Programs)

■

High quality care is a powerful tool against childhood cancer. The quality of life and care

grants empower those best positioned to make effective discoveries: the caregivers

themselves. Our grantees include nurse practitioners who are leading the field in

pediatric oncology nursing practice, as well as those will become future leaders. We also

invest in research that seeks to explain and improve psychosocial outcomes of those

affected by childhood cancer through our Psychosocial Grant Program.

Foundation Awards and Competitions

■

Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation

–

Beckman Young Investigator Program

■

Provides research support to the most promising young faculty members in the early

stages of their academic careers in the chemical and life sciences, particularly to foster

the invention of methods, instruments and materials that will open up new avenues of

research in science.

–

Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship

■

Supports advanced research by postdoctoral scholars within the core areas of

fundamental chemistry or the development and build of chemical instrumentation.

■

Brain and Behavior Research Foundation

–

Young Investigator Grants

■

Provides support for the most promising young scientists conducting neurobiological

research.

–

Independent Investigator Grants

■

Provides support for investigators during the critical period between the initiation of

research and the receipt of sustained funding.

–

Distinguished Investigator Grants

■

Provides support for experienced investigators (full professor or equivalent) conducting

neurobiological and behavioral research.

Foundation Awards and Competitions

■

Burroughs Wellcome Fund

–

Career Awards at the Scientific Interface

■

Foster the early career development of researchers who have transitioned or are

transitioning from undergraduate and/or graduate work in the physical/

mathematical/computational sciences or engineering into postdoctoral work in the

biological sciences, and who are dedicated to pursuing a career in academic research.

–

Career Awards for Medical Scientists

■

Provide support for physician-scientists, who are committed to an academic career, to

bridge advanced postdoctoral/fellowship training and the early years of faculty service.

Proposals must be in the area of basic biomedical, disease-oriented, or translational

research.

–

Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Award

■

Provides opportunities for assistant professors to bring multidisciplinary approaches to

the study of human infectious diseases.

–

Next Gen Pregnancy Initiative

■

Designed to stimulate both creative individual scientists and multi-investigator teams to

approach healthy and adverse pregnancy outcomes using creative basic and translation

science methods.

–

Innovation in Regulatory Science Award

■

Provides support to academic investigators developing new methodologies or

innovative approaches in regulatory science that will ultimately inform the

regulatory decisions the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and others make.

■

Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation

–

Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program

■

Supports the research and teaching careers of talented young faculty members in

the chemical sciences.

–

Machine Learning in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering

■

Provides funding for innovative projects in any area of Machine Learning (ML)

consistent with the Foundation’s broad objective to advance the chemical sciences

and engineering.

■

Concern Foundation

–

Conquer Cancer Now Award

■

Awarded to young and innovative cancer researchers focused on cancer genetics,

cancer biology, and cancer immunology.

■

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

–

Damon Runyon Fellowship Award

■

Supports the training of the brightest postdoctoral scientists as they embark upon

their research careers. This funding enables them to be mentored by established

investigators in leading research laboratories across the country.

–

Damon Runyon-Sohn Pediatric Cancer Fellowship Award

■

Provides funding to basic scientists and clinicians who conduct research with the

potential to significantly impact the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of one or

more pediatric cancers.

–

Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award

■

Supports early career physician-scientists conducting patient-oriented research that

demonstrates a high level of innovation and creativity.

–

Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award

■

Supports the next generation of exceptionally creative thinkers with “high-risk/high-

reward” ideas that have the potential to significantly impact our understanding of

and/or approaches to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of cancer but lack

sufficient preliminary data to obtain traditional funding

–

Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training Award

■

Supports and encourages outstanding physicians to pursue cancer research

careers by providing them with the opportunity for a protected research training

experience under the mentorship of a highly qualified and gifted mentor.

■

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

–

Clinical Scientist Development Award

■

Provides grants to junior physician scientists to facilitate their transition to

independent clinical research careers.

■

William T. Grant Foundation

–

Scholars Program

■

Supports career development for promising early-career researchers by funding

five-year research and mentoring plans that significantly expand researchers’

expertise in new disciplines, methods, and content areas in one of two foci:

Reducing Inequality or Improving the Use of Research Evidence.

■

Greenwall Foundation

–

Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program

■

A career development award to enable junior faculty members to carry out

innovative bioethics research that goes beyond current work in bioethics to help

resolve pressing ethical issues in clinical, biomedical, and public health decision-

making, policy, and practice.

■

W. M. Keck Foundation

–

Science and Engineering Award / Medical Research Award

■

Supports projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach, question the prevailing

paradigm, or have the potential to break open new territory in their field and that fall outside

the mission of public funding agencies.

■

Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund

–

Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Awards in the Neurosciences

■

The awards are among the nation’s oldest and most illustrious fellowships for young

investigators in neuroscience research. Aimed at advancing cutting-edge investigations, the

awards are presented to highly promising, early career scientists.

■

The Lalor Foundation

–

Lalor Fellowship in Reproductive Health

■

Supports promising new researchers early in their work so that they can become

independently funded in the field of mammalian reproductive biology as related to the

regulation of fertility.

■

Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation

–

Macy Faculty Scholars Program

■

Designed to identify and nurture the careers of promising mid-career educational innovators

in medicine and nursing to develop the next generation of national leaders in medical and

nursing education.

■

Mark Foundation for Cancer Research

–

Emerging Leader Award

■

Awarded to outstanding early career cancer investigators to support high-impact,

high-risk projects that are distinct from their current research portfolio.

–

ASPIRE Award

■

Designed to enable innovative approaches to solving high-impact problems in cancer

research that tend to fall outside the scope of other funding opportunities. Supports

high-risk, high-reward projects with research plans designed to answer key feasibility

and proof-of-concept questions in an accelerated time-frame, typically one year.

■

McKnight Foundation

–

Memory and Cognitive Disorders Award

■

Supports research to solve the problems of neurological and psychiatric diseases,

especially those related to memory and cognition.

–

McKnight Scholar Award

■

Encourages neuroscientists in the early stages of their careers to focus on disorders

of learning and memory.

–

Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Award

■

Supports scientists who work on novel and creative approaches to understanding

brain function and seeks to advance and enlarge the range of technologies available

to the neurosciences.

■

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

–

New Directions Fellowships

■

Assist faculty members in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who seek

to acquire systematic training outside their own areas of special interest.

■

David and Lucille Packard Foundation

–

Fellowships for Science and Engineering

■

Invests in the nation’s most promising professors to pursue science and engineering

research early in their careers with few funding restrictions and limited reporting

requirements. Disciplines that are considered include physics, chemistry,

mathematics, biology, astronomy, computer science, earth science, ocean science,

and all branches of engineering.

■

Pew Charitable Trusts

–

Pew Biomedical Scholars

■

Provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to

the advancement of human health. The program makes grants to selected academic

institutions to support the independent research of outstanding individuals who are

in their first few years of their appointment at the assistant professor level.

■

Research Corporation for Science Advancement

–

Cottrell Scholar Award

■

Honors and helps to develop outstanding teacher-scholars who are recognized by

their scientific communities for the quality and innovation of their research programs

and their academic leadership skills.

■

Smith Richardson Foundation

–

Strategy and Policy Fellows Program

■

Supports young scholars and policy thinkers on American foreign policy,

international relations, international security,

■

Searle Funds

–

Searle Scholars Program

■

Supports the independent research of exceptional young faculty in the biomedical

sciences and chemistry who have recently been appointed as assistant professors

on a tenure-track appointment.

■

Simons Foundation

–

Simons Investigators Program

■

Supports outstanding theoretical scientists, enabling them to undertake the long-

term study of fundamental questions.  Investigator Awards are made in

Mathematics, Physics, Astrophysics, and Computer Science as well as in the

Mathematical Modeling of Living Systems.

■

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

–

Sloan Research Fellowships

■

Recognize and reward outstanding early-career faculty who have the potential to

revolutionize their fields of study. Candidates must hold a Ph.D. or equivalent degree

in chemistry, computer science, Earth system science, economics, mathematics,

molecular biology, neuroscience, physics, or a related field.

■

Spencer Foundation

–

Small Research Grants Program

■

Supports education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of

education, broadly conceived, with budgets up to $50,000 for projects ranging from

one to five years.

–

Large Research Grants Program

■

Supports education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of

education, broadly conceived, with budgets ranging from $125,000 to $500,000 for

projects ranging from one to five years.

–

Lyle Spencer Research Awards

(PROGRAM CURRENTLY PAUSED)

■

Supports intellectually ambitious research projects that aspire to transform

education.

–

Research-Practice Partnerships

■

Supports education research projects that engage in collaborative and participatory

partnerships with project budgets up to $400,000 and durations of up to three

years.

■

Thrasher Research Fund

–

Early Career Awards

■

Encourage the development of medical research in child health by awarding small

grants to new researchers, helping them gain a foothold in this important area. The

goal is to fund applicants who will go on to be independent investigators.

–

E.W. “AI” Thrasher Awards

■

Encourage the improvement of children's health through medical research, with an

emphasis on projects that have the potential to translate into clinically meaningful

results within a few years.

■

Whiting Foundation

–

Whiting Public Engagement Fellowship

■

Designed to celebrate and empower humanities faculty who embrace public

engagement as part of the scholarly vocation by supporting public-facing projects far

enough along in development or execution that the nominee can present compelling,

specific evidence that they will successfully engage the intended public.

■

Helen Hay Whitney Foundation

–

Research Fellowship in the Biomedical Sciences

■

Supports early postdoctoral research training in all basic biomedical sciences.

Thank You!

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The Office of Foundation Relations at the University Advancement is a centrally functioning office focused on securing gift and grant income from foundations. The team, led by Senior Director Tim Wuchter, works across all colleges and units to build partnerships and provide guidance on foundation prospects. With a core group of staff members, they identify funding opportunities and collaborate with key colleges/units to pursue university-wide initiatives.

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SEEKING SUPPORT SEEKING SUPPORT FROM FOUNDATIONS FROM FOUNDATIONS Tim Wuchter Senior Director, Foundation Relations Office of Foundation Relations University Advancement October 1, 2020

Office of Foundation Relations: Overview Office of Foundation Relations: Overview Centrally functioning office that works across all colleges and units; focus is on university-level initiatives. Works to build mutually beneficial partnerships with and to secure gift and grant income from private foundations and public charities (not corporate foundations). Maintains positive, university-level relationships with foundations that are currently supporting or that have the potential to support MSU. Coordinates foundation campus visits as well as external meetings with foundation leadership and program staff. Provides advice and guidance on potential foundation prospects for university-wide initiatives as well as for faculty-driven projects, initiatives, and research. Identifies and disseminates foundation funding opportunities. Works closely with the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation on foundation funding opportunities, particularly institutionally limited foundation awards and competitions. On Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) routing for review and approval of Proposal Documents (PD) for all foundation proposals routed through OSP. Pursues these goals through a core group of centrally located staff as well as focused staff embedded within key colleges/units (Agriculture and Natural Resources, Business, Engineering, International Studies and Programs).

Office of Foundation Relations: Team Office of Foundation Relations: Team Tim Wuchter, Senior Director Tim Wuchter, Senior Director Manages the Foundation Relations Office and Team Focuses on top-level national foundations Collaborates with the Office of Institutionally Limited Proposals on annual foundation awards and competitions Larry Wallach, Associate Director Larry Wallach, Associate Director Focuses on foundations within the State of Michigan (with a strong focus on Detroit and Southeast Michigan) as well as select national-level foundations. Adam Kingston, Associate Director Adam Kingston, Associate Director Focuses on smaller national-level foundations as well as on emerging non-traditional foundations and funder consortiums. Patty Gonzales, Research Analyst Patty Gonzales, Research Analyst Provides research support, prospect analytics, and business intelligence. Chery Moran, Administrative Assistant Chery Moran, Administrative Assistant Provides administrative support to the Senior Director and team

College College- -Based Corporate/Foundation Relations (CFR) Team Based Corporate/Foundation Relations (CFR) Team Jennifer Jennings, Associate Director CFR, College of Engineering Jennifer Jennings, Associate Director CFR, College of Engineering Anna Linn, Associate Director CFR, College of Business Anna Linn, Associate Director CFR, College of Business Nancy Nyquist, Associate Director CFR , College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Nancy Nyquist, Associate Director CFR , College of Agriculture and Natural Resources OPEN, Associate Director, International Studies and Programs OPEN, Associate Director, International Studies and Programs For those colleges that do not have dedicated Corporate and Foundation Relations Associate Directors, faculty members who are interested in exploring potential foundation support are encouraged to contact the Development Office within their respective college. That office can provide initial advice/guidance and can connect with the Office of Foundation Relations when necessary. Each of the colleges and major units has a Development Office and Team that focuses on securing philanthropic funding for initiatives within that college or unit.

The Foundation Landscape: Major Trends The Foundation Landscape: Major Trends Significant numbers of new foundations are emerging, many established by high net-worth individuals in the tech industry/Silicon Valley, that are substantially different than the traditional legacy foundations in structure, strategic focus, and envisioned impact. Many of the traditional legacy foundations are rethinking their approach and refreshing their strategies for greater impact on addressing global challenges and threats as well as social issues. A significant number of foundations are moving away from treating a symptom and toward treating a root cause. They are looking to address systemic change. Mega-grants are on the rise, spurred in part by such recent initiatives as the MacArthur Foundation s 100&Change initiative, and many foundations are using big bet competitions to identify organizations to address global grand challenges. Interest is mainly in implementation and taking tested ideas to scale for large-scale impact rather than on research, proof-of-concept, or locally focused initiatives. Most foundations favor multidisciplinary/multi-partner collaborations. Increasingly, funding is going to NGOs, advocacy groups, community-based organizations, implementing partners, and intermediary organizations (which typically re-grant the dollars to other organizations). Trend is toward fewer but larger grants. Many foundations will not support indirect costs or will only support a small percentage.

The Foundation Landscape: Major Trends Cont. The Foundation Landscape: Major Trends Cont. While a number of foundations such as Kellogg and Ford have had a strong social justice/racial equity focus for years, over the last few months many more foundations have committed to addressing these issues: Moving from generosity to justice to quote Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation. Major foundations such as Mellon, Packard, Hewlett, Surdna, Rockefeller Brothers, and many others have announced significant dollar commitments to address these issues through support of social change organizations at the national, regional, and local levels. In addition, many of these foundations are refreshing their current program areas to include a social justice/racial equity lens and will be evaluating each proposal and potential grantee through this lens.

The Foundation Landscape: Impact of COVID The Foundation Landscape: Impact of COVID When the pandemic hit, most foundations reacted quickly (and continue to react) by focusing on the needs of existing grantees, allowing them to convert program grants into operating funds and extending deadlines for reporting. In addition, foundations provided (and continue to provide) funds to support those most affected by the disparities enhanced by the pandemic, offering support to front-line healthcare workers and smaller nonprofits that are struggling to survive, as well as committing to pay out much more than the annual required five percent. Many Michigan foundations have suspended their usual giving priorities to help fund immediate needs created by the pandemic as well as challenges resulting from the pandemic. It is likely this focus will continue at least through the end of this year (subject to how the course of events).

The Foundation Landscape: Impact of COVID. The Foundation Landscape: Impact of COVID. It remains to be seen how foundation programming and funding will be impacted longer term. Since many foundations increased their payout (with a few dipping into their endowments) to address the pressing issues presented by COVID-19, this could have an impact on the amount of grant funds available going forward. On the other hand, a strong possibility exists that many foundations will enhance existing programs or develop new programs to address issues related to the pandemic as well as the current racial tensions that exist in the United States. Potential focus areas for foundations over the next year and beyond include, but are certainly not limited to, the following: Evaluation studies of the effects of COVID-19 on various populations, sectors, geographic regions Racial and economic disparities, racial equity, structural racism, and social justice Police and prison reform Preparedness for future pandemics Modeling and tracing Behavioral health Vaccine development Shoring up smaller nonprofits that are working to address disparities and effect change Online learning

Connecting with Foundations Connecting with Foundations Many foundations issue RFPs. So it is important to subscribe to a foundation s mailing list. Most foundations have moved to an initial Letter of Inquiry process, which allows the foundation to determine alignment before a researcher spends a significant amount of time preparing a full proposal. For those foundations that do not accept unsolicited proposals, program officers will often be open to a short conversation or email message. The most effective way to get on the radar screen of national-level foundations is to be present at major conferences and symposia at which program officers are either keynoting/serving on panels or are in attendance and at which you are doing the same.

Foundation Awards and Competitions Foundation Awards and Competitions Research focused Most are annual Strong emphasis on early career faculty Most have very specific eligibility requirements Focus mostly on the sciences, engineering, and medical disciplines; however, a few have a focus on the humanities and social sciences Highly competitive Many are institutionally limited and require nomination by the University

Foundation Awards and Competitions Foundation Awards and Competitions Alex s Lemonade Stand Foundation Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation Brain and Behavior Research Foundation Burroughs Wellcome Fund Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation Concern Foundation Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Doris Duke Charitable Foundation William T. Grant Foundation Greenwall Foundation W. M. Keck Foundation Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund The Lalor Foundation Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Mark Foundation for Cancer Research McKnight Foundation Andrew W. Mellon Foundation David and Lucille Packard Foundation Pew Charitable Trusts Research Corporation for Science Advancement Smith Richardson Foundation Searle Fund Simons Foundation Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Spencer Foundation Thrasher Research Fund Whiting Foundation Helen Hay Whitney Foundation

Foundation Awards and Competitions Foundation Awards and Competitions Alex s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer Alex s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer Early Career Research Programs (4 Award Programs) Attracting and retaining the best and brightest early career scientists is critical to the future of childhood cancer research. Funding at this stage will encourage and steer promising researchers toward long-term careers in pediatric oncology investigation. Accelerator Programs (12 Awards Programs) Advancing the pace of innovative research is a priority for ALSF. We take risks to fund proposals embracing innovation that have been deemed highly important but have not received National Institutes of Health funding, resulting in high impact. Funding encourages established investigators to push their research forward toward childhood cancer breakthroughs and ultimately new clinical interventions. Quality of Life and Care (3 Award Programs) High quality care is a powerful tool against childhood cancer. The quality of life and care grants empower those best positioned to make effective discoveries: the caregivers themselves. Our grantees include nurse practitioners who are leading the field in pediatric oncology nursing practice, as well as those will become future leaders. We also invest in research that seeks to explain and improve psychosocial outcomes of those affected by childhood cancer through our Psychosocial Grant Program.

Foundation Awards and Competitions Foundation Awards and Competitions Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation Beckman Young Investigator Program Provides research support to the most promising young faculty members in the early stages of their academic careers in the chemical and life sciences, particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments and materials that will open up new avenues of research in science. Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship Supports advanced research by postdoctoral scholars within the core areas of fundamental chemistry or the development and build of chemical instrumentation. Brain and Behavior Research Foundation Brain and Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator Grants Provides support for the most promising young scientists conducting neurobiological research. Independent Investigator Grants Provides support for investigators during the critical period between the initiation of research and the receipt of sustained funding. Distinguished Investigator Grants Provides support for experienced investigators (full professor or equivalent) conducting neurobiological and behavioral research.

Foundation Awards and Competitions Foundation Awards and Competitions Burroughs Burroughs Wellcome Career Awards at the Scientific Interface Foster the early career development of researchers who have transitioned or are transitioning from undergraduate and/or graduate work in the physical/ mathematical/computational sciences or engineering into postdoctoral work in the biological sciences, and who are dedicated to pursuing a career in academic research. Career Awards for Medical Scientists Provide support for physician-scientists, who are committed to an academic career, to bridge advanced postdoctoral/fellowship training and the early years of faculty service. Proposals must be in the area of basic biomedical, disease-oriented, or translational research. Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Award Provides opportunities for assistant professors to bring multidisciplinary approaches to the study of human infectious diseases. Next Gen Pregnancy Initiative Designed to stimulate both creative individual scientists and multi-investigator teams to approach healthy and adverse pregnancy outcomes using creative basic and translation science methods. Wellcome Fund Fund

Innovation in Regulatory Science Award Provides support to academic investigators developing new methodologies or innovative approaches in regulatory science that will ultimately inform the regulatory decisions the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and others make. Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program Supports the research and teaching careers of talented young faculty members in the chemical sciences. Machine Learning in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Provides funding for innovative projects in any area of Machine Learning (ML) consistent with the Foundation s broad objective to advance the chemical sciences and engineering. Concern Foundation Concern Foundation Conquer Cancer Now Award Awarded to young and innovative cancer researchers focused on cancer genetics, cancer biology, and cancer immunology.

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Damon Runyon Fellowship Award Supports the training of the brightest postdoctoral scientists as they embark upon their research careers. This funding enables them to be mentored by established investigators in leading research laboratories across the country. Damon Runyon-Sohn Pediatric Cancer Fellowship Award Provides funding to basic scientists and clinicians who conduct research with the potential to significantly impact the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of one or more pediatric cancers. Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award Supports early career physician-scientists conducting patient-oriented research that demonstrates a high level of innovation and creativity. Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award Supports the next generation of exceptionally creative thinkers with high-risk/high- reward ideas that have the potential to significantly impact our understanding of and/or approaches to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of cancer but lack sufficient preliminary data to obtain traditional funding Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training Award Supports and encourages outstanding physicians to pursue cancer research careers by providing them with the opportunity for a protected research training experience under the mentorship of a highly qualified and gifted mentor.

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinical Scientist Development Award Provides grants to junior physician scientists to facilitate their transition to independent clinical research careers. William T. Grant Foundation William T. Grant Foundation Scholars Program Supports career development for promising early-career researchers by funding five-year research and mentoring plans that significantly expand researchers expertise in new disciplines, methods, and content areas in one of two foci: Reducing Inequality or Improving the Use of Research Evidence. Greenwall Greenwall Foundation Foundation Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program A career development award to enable junior faculty members to carry out innovative bioethics research that goes beyond current work in bioethics to help resolve pressing ethical issues in clinical, biomedical, and public health decision- making, policy, and practice.

W. M. Keck Foundation W. M. Keck Foundation Science and Engineering Award / Medical Research Award Supports projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach, question the prevailing paradigm, or have the potential to break open new territory in their field and that fall outside the mission of public funding agencies. Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Awards in the Neurosciences The awards are among the nation s oldest and most illustrious fellowships for young investigators in neuroscience research. Aimed at advancing cutting-edge investigations, the awards are presented to highly promising, early career scientists. The The Lalor Lalor Foundation Foundation Lalor Fellowship in Reproductive Health Supports promising new researchers early in their work so that they can become independently funded in the field of mammalian reproductive biology as related to the regulation of fertility. Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Macy Faculty Scholars Program Designed to identify and nurture the careers of promising mid-career educational innovators in medicine and nursing to develop the next generation of national leaders in medical and nursing education.

Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Emerging Leader Award Awarded to outstanding early career cancer investigators to support high-impact, high-risk projects that are distinct from their current research portfolio. ASPIRE Award Designed to enable innovative approaches to solving high-impact problems in cancer research that tend to fall outside the scope of other funding opportunities. Supports high-risk, high-reward projects with research plans designed to answer key feasibility and proof-of-concept questions in an accelerated time-frame, typically one year. McKnight Foundation McKnight Foundation Memory and Cognitive Disorders Award Supports research to solve the problems of neurological and psychiatric diseases, especially those related to memory and cognition. McKnight Scholar Award Encourages neuroscientists in the early stages of their careers to focus on disorders of learning and memory. Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Award Supports scientists who work on novel and creative approaches to understanding brain function and seeks to advance and enlarge the range of technologies available to the neurosciences.

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Andrew W. Mellon Foundation New Directions Fellowships Assist faculty members in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who seek to acquire systematic training outside their own areas of special interest. David and Lucille Packard Foundation David and Lucille Packard Foundation Fellowships for Science and Engineering Invests in the nation s most promising professors to pursue science and engineering research early in their careers with few funding restrictions and limited reporting requirements. Disciplines that are considered include physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, astronomy, computer science, earth science, ocean science, and all branches of engineering. Pew Charitable Trusts Pew Charitable Trusts Pew Biomedical Scholars Provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. The program makes grants to selected academic institutions to support the independent research of outstanding individuals who are in their first few years of their appointment at the assistant professor level. Research Corporation for Science Advancement Research Corporation for Science Advancement Cottrell Scholar Award Honors and helps to develop outstanding teacher-scholars who are recognized by their scientific communities for the quality and innovation of their research programs and their academic leadership skills.

Smith Richardson Foundation Smith Richardson Foundation Strategy and Policy Fellows Program Supports young scholars and policy thinkers on American foreign policy, international relations, international security, Searle Funds Searle Funds Searle Scholars Program Supports the independent research of exceptional young faculty in the biomedical sciences and chemistry who have recently been appointed as assistant professors on a tenure-track appointment. Simons Foundation Simons Foundation Simons Investigators Program Supports outstanding theoretical scientists, enabling them to undertake the long- term study of fundamental questions. Investigator Awards are made in Mathematics, Physics, Astrophysics, and Computer Science as well as in the Mathematical Modeling of Living Systems. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Sloan Research Fellowships Recognize and reward outstanding early-career faculty who have the potential to revolutionize their fields of study. Candidates must hold a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in chemistry, computer science, Earth system science, economics, mathematics, molecular biology, neuroscience, physics, or a related field.

Spencer Foundation Spencer Foundation Small Research Grants Program Supports education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education, broadly conceived, with budgets up to $50,000 for projects ranging from one to five years. Large Research Grants Program Supports education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education, broadly conceived, with budgets ranging from $125,000 to $500,000 for projects ranging from one to five years. Lyle Spencer Research Awards (PROGRAM CURRENTLY PAUSED) (PROGRAM CURRENTLY PAUSED) Supports intellectually ambitious research projects that aspire to transform education. Research-Practice Partnerships Supports education research projects that engage in collaborative and participatory partnerships with project budgets up to $400,000 and durations of up to three years.

Thrasher Research Fund Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Awards Encourage the development of medical research in child health by awarding small grants to new researchers, helping them gain a foothold in this important area. The goal is to fund applicants who will go on to be independent investigators. E.W. AI Thrasher Awards Encourage the improvement of children's health through medical research, with an emphasis on projects that have the potential to translate into clinically meaningful results within a few years. Whiting Foundation Whiting Foundation Whiting Public Engagement Fellowship Designed to celebrate and empower humanities faculty who embrace public engagement as part of the scholarly vocation by supporting public-facing projects far enough along in development or execution that the nominee can present compelling, specific evidence that they will successfully engage the intended public. Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Research Fellowship in the Biomedical Sciences Supports early postdoctoral research training in all basic biomedical sciences.

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