Heising-Simons Foundation, The Klarman Family Foundation, The Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation, and The Wellcome Trust join as new Alliance members
April 28, 2016, Palo Alto, CA – The Science Philanthropy Alliance www.sciencephilanthropyalliance.org announced today that four leaders in science philanthropy have joined as members, providing additional support to the effort to increase giving to basic science and significantly expanding the Alliance’s membership.
Interest in supporting science research is growing, as evidenced by recent high-profile gifts such as the $100 million gift announced in March by Paul G. Allen for bioscience, the $100 million initial investment by Yuri Milner to support his plan to send probes to Alpha Centauri, and the $185 million gift from Sandy and Joan Weill to fund brain research, also announced in April.
These philanthropists recognize the importance of supporting science research, which is facing a challenging funding environment, with federal funding of research and development at higher education institutions down over 11% since 2011. Basic science, the fundamental knowledge-building work that has led to such transformative discoveries as the global positioning system, microprocessors and lasers, and, more recently, the discoveries of CRISPR and gravitational waves, is at particular risk. While the scale of philanthropic giving cannot replace federal funding, it plays an important role.
“We are thrilled to have such a wonderful group of passionate supporters of basic science join us in supporting the future of scientific discovery. Our growing membership and network will enable us to be more effective in advising philanthropists and foundations on how to support basic research most effectively,” said Marc Kastner, President of the Alliance. “The addition of the Wellcome Trust also extends our network globally, allowing us to better support philanthropists around the world.”
About Science Philanthropy Alliance
The Alliance provides advice and learning opportunities for individual philanthropists and foundation staffs on how to support basic research most effectively. The Science Philanthropy Alliance was founded in 2012 by six organizations: the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Kavli Foundation, the Simons Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Research Corporation for Science Advancement.
Media contact:
Ruby Barcklay, 1.510.612.5180, rbarcklay@sciphil.org