January 31, 2024 How CZI’s Tech Team Builds New Tools to Unlock Advances in Biomedical Research January 31, 2024/ Paul Karon One unique feature of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is that it not only funds biomedical research, it employs a team of specialists to build new technology that can accelerate that research. Here’s how it works.Read More
January 19, 2024 Can Philanthropy and Government Work Together to Drive Socially Responsible Tech? January 19, 2024/ Paul Karon Five philanthropies are partnering with the National Science Foundation to advance the field of public interest technology — hopefully spurring the idea that public wellbeing must be a key element in tech development.Read More
January 09, 2024 How the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Is Working to Ensure Equitable Access to Care January 09, 2024/ Mike Scutari A top priority for cancer research funders is ensuring that patients receive equitable and timely access to treatment and care. We check in with a leading advocate and grantmaker to see how it’s approaching this work.Read More
December 21, 2023 How Two Bioscience Funding Giants are Partnering to Advance Synthetic Biology Research December 21, 2023/ Paul Karon The Allen Institute and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative teamed up with the University of Washington to pioneer a new generation of research tools with the ability to record the life and times of individual human cells.Read More
December 12, 2023 The Biggest XPRIZE Yet Seeks Therapies that Roll Back the Depredations of Aging December 12, 2023/ Paul Karon XPRIZE Foundation, the organization known for multimillion-dollar competitions to solve global problems, has announced its biggest purse ever — $101 million to develop therapies that keep us healthier, longer.Read More
December 04, 2023 A Major Bequest Finally Puts the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence on Solid Financial Ground December 04, 2023/ Paul Karon The SETI Institute has been looking for extraterrestrial life for 40 years, often with limited support. Now, a $200 million bequest from Qualcomm cofounder Franklin Antonio has given it some much-needed breathing room.Read More
November 27, 2023 Paul Allen's Philanthropic Legacy Continues with Funding for a Brand-New Field of Health Research November 27, 2023/ Paul Karon The late Microsoft co-founder’s Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group has launched its newest Discovery Center. Its goal: exploring how the human nervous system and immune system interact to shape health and disease.Read More
November 15, 2023 Starting With a Big Boost for Rare Disease Research, This Couple Are Ramping Up Their Giving November 15, 2023/ Paul Karon Mike and Sofia Segal came to the U.S. in 1978 from Ukraine with $120 and built a fortune in the electric power industry. Now, they're rolling out a set of big donations, starting with a $17 million gift to fight a rare blood cancer.Read More
October 05, 2023 After Nearly a Century Funding Science, the Sloan Foundation Is Searching for Answers Near and Far October 05, 2023/ Paul Karon We checked in with the president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, one of the country's longest-running backers of science, math, economics and technology, to learn about the foundation's wide-ranging mix of interests.Read More
September 19, 2023 Why This Texas Billionaire Is Giving Big for Biodiversity Science in the Lone Star State September 19, 2023/ Paul Karon Low-key philanthropist Stephen Winn, a Dallas-based investor and tech businessman, and his family have committed $50 million to help the University of Texas at Austin sharply expand ecology and climate research in the state.Read More
September 13, 2023 As It Shifts Strategies, the Kavli Foundation’s Zeroing in on How Climate Change Affects the Brain September 13, 2023/ Paul Karon Continuing its strategic shift, the veteran science funder has launched another new program. The aim is to address an underappreciated aspect of climate change: how it affects the neural systems of humans and animals.Read More
September 06, 2023 A Local Foundation, a Little-Known College, and a Potential HIV and Cancer Breakthrough September 06, 2023/ Paul Karon The Engelstad Foundation supported Touro University Nevada's lone biomedical lab when few other funders would. A recent discovery there could lead to new treatments for HIV, and even cancer, Alzheimer’s and more.Read More
August 11, 2023 AI for the Planet: How One of the World's Biggest Tech Firms Is Backing AI-Powered Climate Science August 11, 2023/ Paul Karon Google.org is putting artificial intelligence at the center of its current efforts to foster innovation in climate research. It’s something of a return to form for a corporate funder that previously focused heavily on COVID response.Read More
August 03, 2023 Big Changes Underway at Kavli, Starting With a Program to Aid Scholars Escaping Global Strife August 03, 2023/ Paul Karon For decades, the bulk of the Kavli Foundation's funding went to establishing scientific institutes with multimillion-dollar endowments. Now, a new president is reshaping the science funder's strategy.Read More
August 01, 2023 A Big Gift to UC San Diego is the Latest Philanthropic Push to Better Understand Psychedelics August 01, 2023/ Paul Karon Psychedelics show great promise in a range of medical therapies, but legal constraints and stigma have kept public funding minimal. As a result, philanthropy remains crucial to advancing research. Here’s the latest gift. Read More
July 26, 2023 Moved by a Schizophrenia Diagnosis, This Family Is Channeling Millions Toward Mental Health July 26, 2023/ Simone Ellin Shari and Garen Staglin’s son Brandon began showing symptoms of schizophrenia as a teen. Today, he’s president of One Mind, which backs mental health, and the family is raising serious funds for research and more.Read More
July 26, 2023 AI Is Suddenly Everywhere, but Philanthropy Has Been Involved for Years. Here Are the Top Funders July 26, 2023/ Paul Karon Artificial intelligence is on everyone’s mind now, but philanthropy has been boosting research or bracing for its implications for some time. Here are the major funders involved in the field.Read More
July 19, 2023 Save the Bees, Bats and Butterflies: How Rotary International Is Making Pollinators a Priority July 19, 2023/ Liz Longley Birds, bats, bees and other insects play an integral role in global food systems, biodiversity and climate. This membership-based organization and its foundation are working to protect and restore pollinators. Read More
July 13, 2023 Type 1 Diabetes Is an Overlooked Global Threat. This Health Funder Has Made it a Top Priority July 13, 2023/ Liz Longley Among non-communicable diseases, diabetes has a particularly low profile as a global health concern. The Helmsley Charitable Trust has made it a central focus, including two recent commitments to the WHO. Read More
June 29, 2023 A Philanthropic Push to Diversify the Ranks of Researchers in Economics and Other Social Sciences June 29, 2023/ Paul Karon The Russell Sage Foundation's Pipeline Grants Competition, in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, promotes the careers of diverse academics who study economic opportunity, equality and social mobility.Read More