When COVID-19 emerged as a global crisis in early 2020, the Science Philanthropy Alliance moved quickly to support its members and advisees in responding with both urgency and foresight. While the pandemic disrupted normal operations for science funders worldwide, it also underscored the critical importance of sustained investment in basic research, much of which had laid the foundation for the rapid development of diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics.
In response, the Alliance shifted some of its advising capacity to focus on pandemic-related scientific efforts, ultimately influencing more than $133 million in funding for COVID-19-related research, including both basic and applied projects. The Alliance also acted as a rapid-response hub, launching a real-time database of funding opportunities, then matching proposals with interested donors.
Under the leadership of its external science advisors—including Shirley Tilghman, who led a pandemic-focused working group—the Alliance helped shape funder priorities and identify research gaps. It also brought new expertise in-house, hiring an infectious disease fellow with support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Donor Advised Fund, to further inform its advising in this area.
At a moment of global uncertainty, the Alliance served as a trusted guide and connector, supporting its network in navigating immediate challenges while reaffirming the long-term value of curiosity-driven research. Its COVID-era work is a lasting example of how philanthropic advising can pivot quickly, catalyze coordinated action, and reinforce the resilience of the scientific enterprise.