Tate Williams writes about the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s support of quantum materials basic scientific research through its EPiQS initiative.

…how do you gauge if a program is successful, when its whole point is being comfortable with the unpredictable and long-term process of basic scientific research?  

Before the Moore Foundation re-upped its EPiQS initiative, it conducted a couple of in-depth evaluations to tackle these questions. Both available on their website, they reveal some interesting insights into how private research funders embrace and mitigate their risk, and how they work to differentiate themselves from larger, public funding sources.