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In its most recent newsletter, Alliance member organization Lasker Foundation speaks one-on-one with their 2022 Laureate James Rothman and shares […]
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Follow us here and stay up-to-date with all the news and happenings at the intersection of philanthropy and curiosity-driven basic scientific research.
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May 30, 2023
In its most recent newsletter, Alliance member organization Lasker Foundation speaks one-on-one with their 2022 Laureate James Rothman and shares […]
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May 23, 2023
NEW HAVEN, CT – Yale University awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree to Dr. France A. Córdova, president of […]
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May 22, 2023
“On behalf of the Science Philanthropy Alliance, I congratulate Dr. Edna Adan Ismail on winning the 2023 Templeton Prize. This […]
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May 15, 2023
Washington, D.C. – Science Philanthropy Alliance President Dr. France A. Córdova recently participated in the American Association for the Advancement […]
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May 1, 2023
The Brown Science Foundation today announced seven recipients of the annual Brown Investigator Award. The award recognizes curiosity-driven basic research […]
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March 28, 2023
“The Science Philanthropy Alliance is saddened to learn of the passing of Gordon Moore. He was a visionary and innovator, […]
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March 23, 2023
On March 8-9, 2023, the Science Philanthropy Alliance welcomed over 250 attendees from nearly 140 research institutions to a virtual […]
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March 2, 2023
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) announced the launch of a new biomedical research hub in Chicago, Illinois that will bring […]
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February 27, 2023
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation recently announced the recipients of the 2023 Sloan Research Fellowships. Awarded annually since 1955, the fellowships […]
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February 15, 2023
A $14.3 million award from Alliance member the WoodNext Foundation will expand research at the University of Pittsburgh to identify […]
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February 6, 2023
The Science Philanthropy Alliance today announced the addition of two external science advisors. Margaret Leinen, Ph.D., and Carla J. Shatz, […]
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February 2, 2023
The Science Philanthropy Alliance is pleased to host a two-day virtual meeting to share insights about science philanthropy with the […]
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January 25, 2023
Alliance member the Simons Foundation has announced its support of 405 Ukrainian mathematicians, biologists, physicists, and chemists who remain in […]
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January 20, 2023
Alignment of Science Philanthropy with Minority-Serving Institutions While there are as many motivations to support scientific research as there are […]
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January 17, 2023
Alliance member the Heising-Simons Foundation has named Sushma Raman its new president and CEO. Raman is an interdisciplinary and experienced […]
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January 13, 2023
In a recent feature, the publication Nature recently noted the work of the Science Philanthropy Alliance and highlighted the broader […]
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November 9, 2022
A recent article published by Physics Today addresses the growing trend of philanthropy as a primary funding tool for basic […]
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October 27, 2022
Sixteen researchers from 14 universities across the U.S. have been named as the first cohort of experimental physicists to receive […]
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October 26, 2022
Schmidt Futures, a Science Philanthropy Alliance benefactor, have launched a $148 million initiative that will fund post-doctoral research in artificial […]
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October 19, 2022
On the most recent episode of Resources Radio podcast, Evan Michelson, program director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, spoke […]
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October 6, 2022
Science Philanthropy Alliance President France A. Córdova recently served as a keynote speaker at the Science Summit at United Nations […]
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September 28, 2022
The Dana Foundation, a Science Philanthropy Alliance member, today announced the recipients of the Dana Centers for Neuroscience and Society […]
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September 15, 2022
The Leon Levy Foundation today announced new leadership. Meredith Ross, former program director for the foundation, has been name president. […]
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August 8, 2022
Alliance member Lyda Hill will be honored with the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, which recognizes innovative philanthropists for their contributions […]
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July 25, 2022
One of Science’s Biggest Challenges In the early 1980s, scientists raced to discover the cause of a mysterious disease that […]
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July 19, 2022
In a recent interview with Paul Karon of Inside Philanthropy, Heather Templeton Dill, president of the John Templeton Foundation, discussed […]
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July 11, 2022
A new study out of Northeastern University found that nearly $30 billion a year in philanthropic science funding supporting smaller-scale […]
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July 7, 2022
Weill Cornell Medicine has announced a three-year, $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to fund development of a next-generation high-speed […]
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June 30, 2022
I’m pleased to share the Alliance’s new strategic plan, which marks the culmination of a year of dedicated effort by […]
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June 29, 2022
David Linzer, president of the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) and an Alliance board member, recently spoke with Inside […]
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June 29, 2022
The Rita Allen Foundation has named its 2022 class of Rita Allen Foundation Scholars. Five early-career leaders in the biomedical sciences […]
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June 24, 2022
Eric and Wendy Schmidt announced the 2022 cohort of Schmidt Science Fellows. The 29 new Fellows are a group of […]
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June 9, 2022
The Science Philanthropy Alliance recently partnered with the Aspen Institute’s Science and Society Program and the publication Leaps.org to publish […]
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June 1, 2022
The Brown Science Foundation today announced four recipients of the annual Brown Investigator Award. The award, which recognizes curiosity-driven basic […]
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May 31, 2022
The Science Philanthropy Alliance recently partnered with the Aspen Institute’s Science and Society Program and the publication Leaps.org to publish […]
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May 11, 2022
The Templeton Prize, which is administered by Alliance member the John Templeton Foundation, today announced Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist Dr. […]
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April 26, 2022
Emblazoned across a wall at one Alliance member’s headquarters is the African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go […]
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April 7, 2022
In an editorial for Science, Alliance President France Córdova explains how “foundation leaders are taking bolder actions” to increase equity […]
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April 5, 2022
Alliance President France A. Córdova was recently recognized by Research!America with the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Builders of Science Award. In […]
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March 4, 2022
The following note from Board Chair Harvey Fineberg appeared in the Alliance’s 2021 annual report, which recaps a banner year […]
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February 11, 2022
To mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Packard Foundation’s Xiao-Wei Wang and Natalie Lake asked […]
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February 3, 2022
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation announced 20 grants totaling nearly $5 million aimed at empowering innovative, systemic change-focused partnerships between […]
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January 3, 2022
The Science Philanthropy Alliance is thrilled to welcome its newest senior science advisor, Thomas R. Cech. Cech is a distinguished […]
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December 7, 2021
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative co-founders and co-CEOs Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg announced that they are doubling down on their […]
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November 22, 2021
In our year-long series on the influence of basic science on the world’s pandemic response, author Susan Reslewic Keatley explores […]
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November 11, 2021
Lorelle Espinosa, program director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and co-chair of the Alliance’s DEI shared interest group, recently […]
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November 10, 2021
For Issues in Science and Technology, the Sloan Foundation’s Evan Michelson and Adam Falk argue that, for philanthropy to shape […]
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October 13, 2021
The Science Philanthropy Alliance is honored to welcome the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as its newest member. Since its […]
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September 30, 2021
Like humans, viruses have genomes: biological instructions that mold their structure, function, and reproduction. The ability to sequence a genome—to […]
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August 16, 2021
The Science Philanthropy Alliance announced today the addition of Fleming Crim, Ph.D., as a senior science advisor. Crim, who is […]
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August 13, 2021
As a part of Issues in Science and Technology’s series exploring the next 75 years of science policy, Alliance president […]
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August 13, 2021
For the Fall 2021 issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Alliance board member Elizabeth Good Christopherson joined other leaders […]
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August 11, 2021
For Issues in Science and Technology, Robert Conn, the Alliance’s founding board chair and former Kavli Foundation president and CEO, […]
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August 2, 2021
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology—a way to copy fragments of DNA until they’re numerous enough to identify—is considered the gold […]
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July 14, 2021
The Science Philanthropy Alliance is honored to welcome its newest member, the Dana Foundation. The private philanthropy is dedicated to […]
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June 29, 2021
In the latest installment of the COVID-19 Basic Science Prequels, writer Yen Duong explores the history of mathematical models, which have […]
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May 26, 2021
When virologist Susan Weiss, PhD, began studying the mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), colleagues wondered why she wanted to investigate something […]
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May 3, 2021
The Science Philanthropy Alliance’s board today announced the selection of Dr. France A. Córdova as Alliance president. Dr. Córdova, who […]
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April 28, 2021
From smallpox scabs in the sixteenth century to failed attempts at an HIV vaccine in the twentieth, the latest COVID-19 Basic […]
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March 29, 2021
COVID-19 is a so-called spillover disease—caused by a virus that jumped from one species to another, probably in this case […]
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March 29, 2021
The fight against infectious diseases is an evolutionary arms race: Can pathogens mutate and evade our immune system’s defenses faster […]
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March 29, 2021
Basic science research lies behind not only the development of treatments and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, but also our growing knowledge […]
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March 29, 2021
Decades before the COVID-19 pandemic, basic science researchers were laying the groundwork for lifesaving breakthroughs now central to the world’s pandemic […]
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March 15, 2021
Sue Merrilees is a senior advisor at the Science Philanthropy Alliance. This is the third post in a series documenting Ross […]
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March 12, 2021
A note from Alliance board chair Harvey V. Fineberg, M.D., Ph.D. Valerie Conn is stepping down from her position as president […]
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March 8, 2021
The Brown Science Foundation today announced physicists David Hsieh of Caltech and William Irvine of the University of Chicago as […]
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November 18, 2020
The Science Philanthropy Alliance published a special edition newsletter in October highlighting the Nobel Prize and MacArthur Fellowship recipients. Read […]
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September 18, 2020
Science philanthropy is like a road trip. You pick a lane of scientific endeavor that you are passionate about—it could […]
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September 18, 2020
Dr. Freeman Hrabowski’s career as a champion for diversity in mathematics, engineering, and science began in one of the least […]
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May 20, 2020
The united states and many other nations are launching a life-threatening experiment. They are rapidly and perhaps prematurely easing restrictions on […]
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May 7, 2020
“There has not been a large funding community around infectious diseases, except for the Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust, maybe […]
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May 5, 2020
Dear members and friends of the Science Philanthropy Alliance, Science has never been more important than it is right now during the […]
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May 5, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Palo Alto, California – May 5, 2020 – The Science Philanthropy Alliance (the Alliance) welcomes France A. […]
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April 10, 2020
A group of Korean researchers has drawn a genome map for the first time by tracing how the virus related […]
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April 7, 2020
In the weeks to come, we’re about to relearn that old truth: necessity is the mother of invention. Researchers will […]
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April 7, 2020
As of April 6, 2020, more than 1.3 million people worldwide have tested positive for COVID-19, with over 74,000 confirmed […]
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April 7, 2020
On the Government of Canada’s website there is a digital tally counter, showing the daily uptick in coronavirus cases and, […]
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April 1, 2020
The President says we are at war with the coronavirus. It’s a war we should fight to win. The economy […]
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March 24, 2020
The Rita Allen Foundation is hosting the “COVID-19 Response: The Need for New Approaches and New Voices” webinar this Friday, […]
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March 19, 2020
The Open Philanthropy Project granted US$17.5 million last year to Sherlock Biosciences, a startup firm in Cambridge, Mass., that’s developing […]
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March 18, 2020
A group founded by the former CEO and executive chairman of Google is huddling with venture capitalists to discuss how […]
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March 17, 2020
In a briefing on Monday, research leaders across tech, academia and the government joined the White House to announce an […]
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March 17, 2020
Foundations are taking a wide variety of approaches to helping nonprofits cope with the economic fallout of the coronavirus, ranging […]
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March 17, 2020
The virus that causes Covid-19 is currently spreading around the world. At least six other types of coronavirus are known […]
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March 13, 2020
A new $120 million research program aims to tap scientists’ knowledge of the human body. Today, the Howard Hughes Medical […]
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March 6, 2020
The University of California San Diego recently hosted a day-long symposium celebrating the philanthropic funding of early-career faculty in their […]
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March 5, 2020
In any crisis, leaders have two equally important responsibilities: solve the immediate problem and keep it from happening again. The […]
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February 20, 2020
New president Valerie Conn reports on recent developments at the Alliance. Valerie discusses new additions, strategic planning, and the future of the Alliance. […]
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February 19, 2020
Learn how David Packard, co-founder of the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, launched the Packard Fellowship program. Download the Packard Fellowship case […]
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February 17, 2020
UT Southwestern Medical Center data scientists analyzing genetic sequences of the COVID-19 coronavirus have identified potential vulnerabilities that could help […]
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February 6, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Palo Alto, California – The Science Philanthropy Alliance has appointed Shirley Tilghman as senior science advisor. Shirley […]
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February 5, 2020
The story of Vannevar Bush and his 1945 report, Science, the Endless Frontier, has attained in a mere 75 years […]
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February 4, 2020Press Release: Valerie Conn announced new President of Science Philanthropy Alliance [Alliance News]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Palo Alto, CA – The Science Philanthropy Alliance has named Valerie Conn as new president. As president, […]
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January 28, 2020
Led by UC Berkeley’s Randy Schekman, 21 Nobel laureates from the United States have sent an open letter to President […]
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January 2, 2020
Let’s start with some billionaire math. Some 2000 ultra-wealthy households in the United States each hold more than $500 million […]
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December 11, 2019
Many of you already know the story of how I came to the Science Philanthropy Alliance. For those who do […]
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December 11, 2019
Sue Merrilees is a senior advisor at the Science Philanthropy Alliance. This is the second post in an ongoing blog […]
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November 13, 2019
Strong local reporting on the status of Puget Sound’s killer whales, the degradation of soils in a region of France, […]
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October 31, 2019
New leaders will build on the momentum of the first five years Palo Alto, Calif. – Today, the Science Philanthropy […]
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October 28, 2019
The Science Philanthropy Alliance announced that the John Templeton Foundation has joined the Alliance as a benefactor. Founded by the […]
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October 2, 2019
Sue Merrilees is a senior advisor at the Science Philanthropy Alliance. This is the first post in an ongoing blog […]
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September 9, 2019
The Science Philanthropy Alliance announced that three foundations have joined the Alliance, supporting its mission to increase private funding for […]
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September 4, 2019
Valerie Conn is executive director of the Science Philanthropy Alliance When I talk to scientists, university leaders, and development officers, […]
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August 19, 2019
The California Institute of Technology has announced that gifts from the Amgen Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation will […]
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June 26, 2019
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation will be making three gifts totaling $30 million to fund innovative research, faculty recruitment, training, and […]
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June 25, 2019
On a clear February day in San Francisco, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Science Philanthropy Alliance cohosted an […]
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June 21, 2019
A first-of-its-kind study shows that cuts in federal funding for science might hinder the economy by halting innovation. The study, […]
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June 21, 2019
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) announced $68 million in funding to support the Human Cell Atlas and its selection of […]
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June 21, 2019
A $10 million gift from Portland’s Mary and Tim Boyle is fueling the start of a joint center in biomedical […]
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June 19, 2019
There are as many ways to do science philanthropy as there are science philanthropists. At a recent Science Philanthropy Alliance […]
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June 17, 2019
Diversity, equity, and inclusion has been a topic of growing interest among members of the Science Philanthropy Alliance. At our […]
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June 13, 2019
Scientists who become philanthropists are especially attuned to the needs of basic science. At a recent UC Berkeley-Science Philanthropy Alliance […]
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June 3, 2019
The grant from The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research will establish The Mark Foundation Center for Immunotherapy, Immune Signaling, and […]
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May 29, 2019
Thanks to a gift from Eric and Wendy Schmidt, Guyot Hall will be substantially rebuilt and expanded to create a […]
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May 28, 2019
The University of Chicago today announced a $100 million commitment from the Pritzker Foundation to support the new Pritzker School […]
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May 24, 2019
The $125 million joint gift from the Simons Foundation and the Carson Family Charitable Trust, which will be awarded over […]
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April 16, 2019
The Audacious Project, TED’s philanthropic collaborative dedicated to bold, actionable ideas, announced the 2019 Audacious projects. The Science Philanthropy Alliance […]
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April 1, 2019
Sue Merrilees is an advisor at the Science Philanthropy Alliance Over the last two years, we at the Science Philanthropy […]
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March 14, 2019
In 2010, Texas entrepreneur Lyda Hill signed the newly created Giving Pledge, announcing her plan to donate the entirety of […]
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March 3, 2019
Tate Williams writes about the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s 15 year-old Marine Microbiology Initiative, which will wind down and […]
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February 27, 2019
Princeton University researchers will push the limits of data science by leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning across the research […]
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February 26, 2019
UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ writes about the importance of basic research. She writes: In contrast to applied research, fundamental […]
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February 18, 2019
Learn how Jim and Marilyn Simons, co-founders of the Simons Foundation, made a significant impact on autism research through their […]
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February 6, 2019
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is launching a new area of research, the Symbiosis in Aquatic Systems Initiative. Over the […]
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February 5, 2019
David and Claudia Harding have donated £100m to Cambridge University. The donation is the biggest single gift made to a […]
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February 4, 2019
Jen Jope at Giving Compass interviews Alliance executive director Valerie Conn about the work of the Science Philanthropy Alliance to […]
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January 28, 2019
At a recent Science Philanthropy Alliance member meeting, Harvey Fineberg, president of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, spoke with […]
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January 16, 2019
Basic science funding was featured among the recent IP Philanthropy Awards (IPPY) awards: Mega-Giver We Will Miss the Most: Paul […]
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January 16, 2019
Nobel laureate Donna Strickland pens an opinion piece about the importance of discovery science. Since the announcement that I won […]
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January 10, 2019
The Science Philanthropy Alliance announces that Jason Tung, Ph.D., was named director of partnerships effective January 1, 2019. For the […]
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January 8, 2019
Fundamental discoveries don’t always have practical uses, but they have soul-saving applications. Read this opinion piece by Bret Stephens.
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December 14, 2018
Marc Kastner is president of the Science Philanthropy Alliance As former dean of science at MIT and now as president […]
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December 6, 2018
Valerie Conn is executive director of the Science Philanthropy Alliance The leaders of three major U.S. science foundations participated in […]
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December 6, 2018
The CZI Neurodegeneration Challenge Network brings together experimental scientists from diverse research fields — neuroscience, cell biology, biochemistry, immunology, and genomics — […]
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November 19, 2018
Tate Williams writes about the Bloomberg-OceanX initiative, which will coordinate activities, to some extent, between Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Vibrant Oceans Initiative, and […]
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November 9, 2018
The Boston Globe reports that Harvard Medical School has received a $200 million donation — the largest in its history — […]
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November 7, 2018
Michela Tindera writes: The estate of legendary billionaire investor Richard Rainwater will fund a series of multimillion-dollar prizes to fight degenerative brain […]
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November 5, 2018
The Tang family of Hong Kong has made a $20 million gift to MIT to name the Tang Family Imaging […]
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November 2, 2018
John Pavlus’ 2015 essay on why the reasons for doing basic research go well beyond the creation of new applications […]
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October 30, 2018
As two of the largest supporters of ocean protection and exploration in the world, Bloomberg and Dalio’s OceanX’s combined efforts […]
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October 16, 2018
Sue Merrilees is an advisor at the Science Philanthropy Alliance Raising money for basic science from private sources can sometimes […]
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October 15, 2018
Tate Williams writes about the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s support of quantum materials basic scientific research through its EPiQS […]
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October 12, 2018
The Dallas Morning News interviewed Jim Allison, who was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, to discuss “how […]
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October 12, 2018
The benefits of basic research experiments aren’t always obvious, but that shouldn’t diminish their importance. Read this essay by Don […]
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October 3, 2018
At its annual meeting in Carlsbad, CA, on October 1, 2018, the Association of Independent Research Institutes (AIRI) presented its […]
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September 19, 2018
Valerie Conn is executive director of the Science Philanthropy Alliance A $100 million gift is what’s known in development circles […]
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August 23, 2018
Paul Brest and Hal Harvey write about the second edition of their book, Money Well Spent. They note that a successful […]
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August 16, 2018
Physics and astronomy are two fields with some of the worst gender imbalances in science. They also happen to be two of […]
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August 10, 2018
The Blavatnik Family Foundation has pledged $10 million to Stanford Medicine. The Blavatnik Family Fellowship Fund at the Stanford University […]
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July 13, 2018
Bradford Smith, president of the Foundation Center, blogs about philanthropy in today’s balkanized environment. He cites the Science Philanthropy Alliance […]
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July 3, 2018
Marc Kastner is the president of the Science Philanthropy Alliance. This article first appeared on the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation […]
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June 18, 2018
A newly-released Department of Energy report highlights outstanding examples of major scientific accomplishments emerging from the past 40 years of […]
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June 7, 2018
U.S. Research Institutions Received Over $2.3 Billion in Private Funding for Basic Science in 2017 Institutions participating in the survey […]
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June 1, 2018
Alliance president Marc Kastner and members The Kavli Foundation, The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Simons Foundation, and Heising-Simons Foundation […]
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June 1, 2018
Inside Philanthropy‘s Tate Williams writes: “While much research funding comes in the form of tightly defined, incremental project grants, HHMI’s […]
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May 31, 2018Giving in the Light of Reason: the Open Philanthropy Project [via Stanford Social Innovation Review]
The Open Philanthropy Project, whose primary funders are Dustin Moskovitz and Cari Tuna, “is guided by the principles of effective […]
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May 11, 2018
Michele Stockwell of the Bipartisan Policy Center penned an opinion piece about the importance of funding basic science. The value […]
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May 9, 2018
The Science Philanthropy Alliance announced that the Open Philanthropy Project has joined as an associate member. The Open Philanthropy Project identifies […]
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May 7, 2018
Tate Williams reports on changes at The Kavli Foundation, which is expanding through its Kavli Institutes and Kavli Prizes, and […]
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May 3, 2018
Clare McGrane reports that Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s Human Cell Atlas has awarded a total of $15 million to 85 researchers […]
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April 30, 2018
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Page family are launching the “Universal Influenza Vaccine Development Grand Challenge” during […]
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April 30, 2018
Eric Schmidt is demonstrating a keen interest in how artificial intelligence, data, and technology in general might accelerate scientific discovery and […]
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April 26, 2018
Most transformative meds originate in curiosity-driven science, evidence says
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April 26, 2018
Most transformative meds originate in curiosity-driven science, evidence says
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April 24, 2018
Robert and Nancy Carney have donated $100 million to Brown University’s brain science institute to advance the understanding of the […]
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April 19, 2018
Marc Kastner is president of the Science Philanthropy Alliance. He was the dean of science at the Massachusetts Institute of […]
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April 10, 2018
Sue Merrilees is an advisor with the Science Philanthropy Alliance. This is the second of a two-part blog in which […]
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April 5, 2018
The University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design has won an $11.3 million grant from the Open Philanthropy Project to cook up a public […]
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April 4, 2018
Sue Merrilees is an advisor with the Science Philanthropy Alliance. This is the first of a two-part blog in which […]
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April 2, 2018
The Science Philanthropy Alliance today announced that The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation has become a full member of the […]
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April 2, 2018
Valerie Conn is executive director of the Science Philanthropy Alliance London was cold and blustery on March 7, but on […]
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March 29, 2018
A lecture given by Professor Shirley M Tilghman, Princeton University on 8 October 2015 at the Royal College of Physicians, […]
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February 16, 2018
Valerie Conn, executive director of the Science Philanthropy Alliance, talks to BBC Radio’s Roland Pease about science philanthropy in this […]
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February 8, 2018
Science Philanthropy Alliance Announces Rita Allen Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation as Members, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation as […]
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January 25, 2018
In this opinion piece in The Hill, Rebecca Blank, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Brad Schwartz, CEO of […]
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January 17, 2018
The Lustgarten Foundation announced today that it funded $22 million in 2017 as part of its commitment to invest $40 million by the end of 2018. In addition to funding the […]
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January 5, 2018
Nature features Dustin Moskovitz and his wife Cari Tuna’s Open Philanthropy Project, which has significantly boosted its spending to $200 million this […]
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December 20, 2017
Physics Today talks to Cyndi Atherton, director of the science program at the Heising-Simons Foundation, about her career path and […]
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December 20, 2017
Carnegie Mellon University alumnus Glen de Vries, co-founder and president of Medidata, has donated $10 million to endow the chair […]
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December 14, 2017
An in-depth profile of Jim Simons, who with Marilyn Simons is one of the heavyweights in science philanthropy through their […]
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December 11, 2017
A Science Philanthropy Success Story Taking to the Stars: the Sloan Foundation’s 25-year Partnership with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey […]
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December 8, 2017
Jeffrey and Susan Brotman and Pam and Dan Baty have made a $50 million gift to create an institute for […]
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December 7, 2017
Dear Science Philanthropy Alliance community, I started the year with concern about the state of funding for basic science research. […]
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December 6, 2017
American innovator Ray Dolby’s estate gave $100 million to help build Cambridge University’s new Cavendish laboratory. The gift is “the […]
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December 5, 2017
Forbes and The Mercury News report on the red carpet event announcing the Breakthrough Prizes for 2017, totalling $22 million. From […]
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December 4, 2017
The Science Philanthropy Alliance announced that The Rockefeller Foundation has joined as an associate member. For more than 100 years, The […]
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December 1, 2017
In this story from The Scientist, Bob Grant writes about private funders who are supporting big projects and rewriting the playbook […]
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November 30, 2017
To help journalists better understand the growing field of science philanthropy, the Science Philanthropy Alliance organized a panel discussion at […]
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November 28, 2017
Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey have given $10 million to Northwestern University to create an epigentics center at […]
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November 14, 2017
Research on what makes jellyfish glow green led to a new world of biological and medical research. Read about it here. […]
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October 16, 2017
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announced today that it is funding 38 pilot projects around the world to help build tools […]
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October 13, 2017
The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation has stepped up its advocacy for biomedical research funding. As Mary Lasker said: “If you […]
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October 12, 2017
Congratulations to our member, the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation, on the launch of the Schmidt Science […]
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October 9, 2017
According to experts, it’s strong historic investment in basic science, academic freedom for researchers and patience to see results. “The […]
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October 9, 2017
According to experts, it’s strong historic investment in basic science, academic freedom for researchers and patience to see results. “The […]
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October 6, 2017
Janet Rossant discusses the nature of basic science, and how the study of blastocysts led to the discovery of the […]
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October 5, 2017
“time and again, it has been a foundational understanding of how animals (and plants, fungi and microbes) work that leads […]
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October 2, 2017
Nergis Mavalvala reflects on the moment her team first detected gravitational waves and how it broadened the scope of research […]
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September 26, 2017
By Marc Kastner, president of the Science Philanthropy Alliance Fundraising for a growing center at an institution can be very […]
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September 25, 2017
In this video, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan shares how a fundamental physics discovery facilitated his Nobel Prize-winning work in chemistry and discusses […]
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September 22, 2017
Billionaire Ed Bass is giving $30 million to Biosphere 2, the massive, futuristic earth science project he helped create in […]
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September 19, 2017
Robert Kirshner, chief program officer for science at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation spoke with Inside Philanthropy about making the move […]
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September 18, 2017
In this video, May Berenbaum explains how a brown moth helps control a pervasive roadside weed, and how the study […]
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September 14, 2017
Using most of a $115 million donation from Rajen Kilachand, a Dubai businessman and BU graduate, the school will create […]
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September 12, 2017
Scientists May Berenbaum, Nergis Mavalvala, Janet Rossant, and Venkatraman Ramakrishnan reflect on how breakthroughs in science have led to new […]
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August 24, 2017
Valerie Conn is the executive director of the Science Philanthropy Alliance A particular challenge that research institutions face is that […]
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August 9, 2017
By Marc Kastner, president, Science Philanthropy Alliance Researchers often want to know: will my research be of interest to philanthropists? […]
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August 3, 2017
Brown University’s national mathematics research institute has been tapped to lead an $8 million Simons Foundation project aimed at bringing […]
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August 1, 2017
Valerie Conn is executive director of the Science Philanthropy Alliance A question I often get from research institutions seeking funding […]
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July 12, 2017
Inside Philanthropy describes the Lyda Hill Foundation, an Alliance member, and its broad interests in science.
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July 10, 2017
Valerie Conn is executive director of the Science Philanthropy Alliance Twice a year, the members of the Science Philanthropy Alliance […]
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July 7, 2017
The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group recently announced a $10 million gift to create an Allen Discovery Center at the […]
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June 28, 2017
This video illustrates the May 5, 2017 Washington Post commentary by Eric Lander, president and founding director of the Broad Institute and […]
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June 27, 2017
The Science Philanthropy Alliance announced that the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has joined as an associate member. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative […]
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June 26, 2017
Alliance member Shelby White, founder of the Leon Levy Foundation, received the 2017 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. Read more here. Past […]
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June 22, 2017
The Science Philanthropy Alliance (the “Alliance”) announced that Valerie Conn will become Executive Director of the organization effective July 1, […]
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June 16, 2017
Inside Philanthropy describes the Rita Allen Foundation’s science giving program. The Rita Allen Foundation focuses its science research grantmaking on […]
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June 14, 2017
Wudan Yan discusses non-government sources of funding for scientific research, including philanthropy. “When federal funding declines, then philanthropic funding […]
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May 31, 2017
Tate Williams discusses the challenges of evaluating basic science giving, and the meetings that the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation […]
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May 18, 2017
Tate Williams profiles the Simons Foundation’s new Flatiron Institute, a privately-funded research center which brings “multiple disciplines into one shop, united […]
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May 17, 2017
Marc Kastner, president of Science Philanthropy Alliance, recently wrote in a San Jose Mercury News op-ed: “With many recent high-profile announcements […]
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May 9, 2017
Eric S. Lander, president of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University and Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet, […]
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April 28, 2017
Robert Kirshner, chief program officer for science at our founding member organization, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, writes about the importance […]
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April 20, 2017
L. Rafael Reif, president of MIT, writes about the economic impact of basic research and the important role the government plays […]
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April 20, 2017
Tate Williams discusses the proposed budget cuts to science research and the role of science philanthropy in relation to government funding: […]
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April 11, 2017
Five leading universities will receive $12.5 million from the Beckman Foundation for state-of-the-art Cryo-EM instrumentation. In support of the foundation’s mission of […]
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April 5, 2017
How the genome of a salt-loving microbe led to a world-changing technology. Read the story. This article was commissioned by […]
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March 27, 2017
Marc Kastner, president of the Science Philanthropy Alliance, shares his thoughts on the roles that government, philanthropy, and corporations play […]
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March 24, 2017
Gillian Tett of the Financial Times discusses The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge, an essay published by American educationalist Abraham Flexner eight […]
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March 15, 2017
The $325 billion biotech industry began with the discovery of an enzyme to slice DNA. Read the story. This article […]
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March 8, 2017
This BBC article notes: “The Simons Foundation has given the cash for studies into the biological mechanisms that underpin changes […]
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February 22, 2017
In this opinion piece in The Hill, Rush Holt, CEO of The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) […]
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February 21, 2017
Philanthropy News Digest reports on the Science Philanthropy Alliance’s survey which shows U.S. research institutions received more than $2.3 billion […]
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February 15, 2017
Inside Philanthropy discusses the Science Philanthropy Alliance survey on private funding of basic science.
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February 13, 2017
This brief book includes Flexner’s timeless 1939 essay alongside a new companion essay by Robbert Dijkgraaf, the Institute for Advanced […]
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February 13, 2017
Research Institutions Received Over $2.3 Billion in Private Funding for Basic Science in 2016 Palo Alto, CA (February 13, 2017) […]
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February 10, 2017
Reporter Barb Darrow reports on Hock Tan and Lisa Yang’s gift to MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research to investigate […]
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February 8, 2017
Nature reports that CZI named the 47 investigators that will receive up to $1.5M in funding to pursue their “riskiest, […]
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February 5, 2017
This Yellowstone bacterium sparked PCR, one of the great advances in genetics. Read the story. This article was commissioned by […]
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February 5, 2017
A fluorescent protein helped researchers illuminate human cellular biology. Read the story. This article was commissioned by the Science Philanthropy […]
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February 5, 2017
How coral revolutionized human bone repair. Read the story. This article was commissioned by the Science Philanthropy Alliance as part […]
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February 5, 2017
The simple nerve cells of sea creatures helped scientists fathom human memory. Read the story. This article was commissioned by […]
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February 2, 2017
The Science Philanthropy Alliance announced that the Leon Levy Foundation has joined the Science Philanthropy Alliance as an associate member. […]
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January 25, 2017
Reporter Paul Karon describes the Klarman Family Foundation‘s support of research into eating disorders. The Klarman foundation, established with millions […]
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January 25, 2017
David Callahan looks into a crystal ball and shares trends and issues to watch in 2017. He includes the Science […]
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January 24, 2017
The president of MIT, Rafael Reif, calls for renewed federal support for basic science research and says it’s imperative to […]
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January 23, 2017
Robert Shelton, president of Research Corporation for Science Advancement, shares his insights on science philanthropy: find what you’re passionate about […]
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January 13, 2017
The Helen Diller Foundation has granted $500 million to UC San Francisco. “Of this, $100 million will be used to […]
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January 11, 2017
Paul Joskow, president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, shares his insights on science philanthropy: focus on what you care […]
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January 5, 2017
Read about how basic science research changed the game, in the following five stories commissioned by the Science Philanthropy Alliance […]
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January 3, 2017
The Shurl & Kay Curci Foundation… has a hand in some fascinating research lately, ranging from brain-computer interfaces to edible electronic […]
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December 22, 2016
Tianqiao Chen and Chrissy Luo commit an initial $1 billion to brain discovery, treatment, and development. Their gift to Caltech builds […]
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December 22, 2016
Nuala Sawyer reports on Bill Bowes’ gift to UCSF for biomedical research.
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December 22, 2016
Rosanna Xia reports on a significant gift to brain research in “How a mind-controlled robotic arm paved the way for […]
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December 12, 2016
Thomas Levenson of MIT shares his thoughts about basic science research and why failure is necessary to building knowledge. “The settled knowledge […]
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December 9, 2016
Dear Science Philanthropy Alliance community, What a year it has been for basic science! We have seen anew the power […]
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December 9, 2016
Reporter Tate Williams writes about the donor behind a big neuroscience gift in Iowa.
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December 7, 2016
In this op-ed, L. Rafael Reif, president of MIT, describes the importance of funding basic science research.
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December 7, 2016
In this op-ed, L. Rafael Reif, president of MIT, describes the importance of funding basic science research. “Scientists are like […]
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December 5, 2016
Robert Conn, President and CEO of The Kavli Foundation, offers his insights about what works in science philanthropy.
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December 1, 2016
In this article by Clive Cookson, Harding talks about physics and philanthropy. He mentions the Science Philanthropy Alliance, which Winton Philanthropies […]
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December 1, 2016
The Science Philanthropy Alliance announced that The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and Winton Philanthropies have joined the […]
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November 28, 2016
This Giving Tuesday, the AAAS published an article about the importance of philanthropy in advancing science. The article mentions Marc […]
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November 23, 2016
The Lasker Foundation, one of our members, recently featured two articles on giving to basic science. The Foundation discusses philanthropy’s […]
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November 15, 2016
Hear Jim and Marilyn Simons’s insights about giving to basic science research.
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November 14, 2016
Marilyn Simons, President of Simons Foundation, and Jim Simons, Chair of Simons Foundation, offer their insights about what works in […]
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October 31, 2016
In this video news segment, Arirang discusses what makes the U.S., UK, and Japan particularly effective in making groundbreaking science […]
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October 18, 2016
Karl Zinsmeister writes about why private philanthropy is so important to breakthrough science.
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October 13, 2016
Erika Hayden from Nature Magazine interviewed Marc Kastner, president of the Science Philanthropy Alliance, about the Alliance’s plans to increase […]
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October 7, 2016
Congratulations to this year’s Nobel Prize winners for their breakthrough work in basic science! A Japan Times story about this year’s Nobel Prize […]
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October 5, 2016
The Science Philanthropy Alliance announced that Robert Tjian, biochemist at the University of California at Berkeley and former president of […]
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September 26, 2016
Read the op-ed by Harvey Fineberg, president of the Moore Foundation.
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September 23, 2016Video
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September 22, 2016
Read Alliance chair Bob Conn and president Marc Kastner’s op-ed.
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September 22, 2016
Read an editorial about the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, by Nobelist David Baltimore.
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September 22, 2016
Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement on September 21 generated a lot of buzz in the science and philanthropy communities. […]
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September 21, 2016
By Marc Kastner, President The Science Philanthropy Alliance is cheering Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg’s extraordinary commitment to basic science […]
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September 19, 2016
The Science Philanthropy Alliance welcomes a new board member, Erin O’Shea, who became the new president of the Howard Hughes […]
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August 29, 2016Science
Authors: K. S. Kosik, T. J. Sejnowski, M. E. Raichle, A. Ciechanover, D. Baltimore In this article, the authors discuss the lack of progress […]
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August 11, 2016
Rita Allen Foundation Joins Science Philanthropy Alliance as Associate Member August 11, Palo Alto, CA–The Science Philanthropy Alliance announced that […]
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August 5, 2016
The hypothetical question posed in this video: It’s 1960, and you have $10 to spend on research. Would you spend […]
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August 5, 2016
“Why pursue basic research simply for the sake of curiosity, discovery, knowledge, when applied research specifically tackles the world’s biggest […]
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August 5, 2016
“Our research investments in speech, natural language processing and machine learning have contributed to the development of Skype Translator and […]
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August 5, 2016The Relationship Between Basic Research, Innovation, and Economic Success [from Scientific American]
“Basic research helps benefit our wellbeing, the nation’s economic growth, and the creation of jobs. It’s also increasingly inspiring to […]
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August 1, 2016
Eric Lander, president of the Broad Institute, gives examples of how basic science has had a transformative impact: Lasers, merely a research […]
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July 25, 2016
“Declining federal spending on basic research has raised the threat of an “innovation deficit” in America at a time when […]
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July 18, 2016
By Valerie Conn, Vice President, Science Philanthropy Alliance On July 8, nearly 100 representatives from our research partner institutions gathered […]
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July 12, 2016
Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation and The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation Join Science Philanthropy Alliance as […]
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July 10, 2016Basic Research’s Influence on Human Health [from Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute]
“The ‘bench-to-bedside’ approach goes both ways. Basic scientists provide physicians with new patient care tools—diagnostics, prevention methods, and treatments—to assess […]
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July 6, 2016
Inside Philanthropy’s Tate Williams interviews Alliance president Marc Kastner about the need for private funding of basic science and the Alliance’s […]
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June 9, 2016
In this third Inside Philanthropy article about Heising-Simons Foundation, Cyndi Atherton talks about the foundation’s approach to science philanthropy. Atherton […]
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June 6, 2016
Alliance member Heising-Simons Foundation discusses giving to basic science, particularly the physical sciences and climate science.
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May 31, 2016
Duke University biologist Sheila Patek has faced criticism from lawmakers over her research into mantis shrimp and trap-jaw ants, with […]
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May 20, 2016
Harvey Fineberg, president of the Moore Foundation, talks about basic science and the Science Philanthropy Alliance in this Q&A with Philanthropy […]
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May 20, 2016
The Simons Foundation, an Alliance member, contributes $40 million towards an observatory in Chile to study the origin of the universe.
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May 18, 2016
Inside Philanthropy reports on the key findings of the Science Philanthropy Alliance’s survey of universities on private giving to basic science.
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May 17, 2016Inside the Simons Foundation: Big Philanthropy on the Frontiers of Science [via Inside Philanthropy]
An in-depth look at the Simons Foundation, one of the top 40 foundations in the U.S., and its focus on […]
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May 15, 2016
Download the summary of the survey results. Read the Chronicle of Philanthropy story about the survey. Read the Inside Philanthropy […]
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April 28, 2016
Heising-Simons Foundation, The Klarman Family Foundation, The Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation, and The Wellcome Trust join as new Alliance […]
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April 26, 2016
Sandy and Joan Weill give big to brain research with a $185 million gift.
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April 21, 2016
Alliance advisor Robert Birgeneau, an internationally distinguished physicist and chancellor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, received the National […]
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April 13, 2016
With Paul Allen’s announcement last month to support bioscience with a $100 million gift, yesterday’s announcement of Yuri Milner’s plan to send a […]
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April 13, 2016
Sean Parker’s foundation is giving $250 million to fund cancer research, focusing on immunotherapy and new tumor antigen targets.
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April 13, 2016
Yuri Milner announces a plan to send a fleet of robot spacecraft to Alpha Centauri, provides initial funding of $100 million […]
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April 11, 2016
A guest editorial in Science Magazine by Paul Allen about the exciting opportunities in bioscience and basic science. Read the […]
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March 23, 2016
Paul Allen announces a $100 million commitment over 10 years to fund bioscience.
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February 16, 2016
Following the news of the discovery of gravitational waves, The New York Times editorial board weighed in on the importance […]
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February 15, 2016
The announcement of the first direct observation of gravity waves reminds us of how exciting basic science can be.
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December 21, 2015
The author explores how short-term thinking and focus on stock prices have changed U.S. companies from research giants to bottom-line thinkers.
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November 4, 2015
An inside look at how Bill and Karen Ackman’s Pershing Square Foundation values, and funds, the creative serendipity of basic science.
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August 3, 2015
The reasons for doing basic research go well beyond the creation of new applications and technologies.
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February 8, 2015
The annual Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of the biggest donors is filled with support for basic scientific research. Philanthropists are focusing on work that is risky, challenging, and uncertain.
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