Brain & Cell
Behind an Early Nvidia Employee’s Big Gift for Healthcare AI
Nvidia cofounder and CEO Jensen Huang and his wife Lori recently became centibillionaires, powered by the company’s leading role in manufacturing the GPU chips that help make AI systems possible. However, the Huangs aren’t the only Nvidia insiders … [Read more...] about Behind an Early Nvidia Employee’s Big Gift for Healthcare AI
Why Five Spinal Cord Injury Organizations Teamed Up to Launch a New Venture Philanthropy Fund
Venture philanthropy, which borrows the venture investment model from the world of for-profit business to achieve philanthropic goals, may not be the solution for every ill, but if there's one area where it makes resounding sense, it's in medical … [Read more...] about Why Five Spinal Cord Injury Organizations Teamed Up to Launch a New Venture Philanthropy Fund
Neuroscience Funders Are Moving in Unexpected Directions: Three Boundary-Pushing Initiatives
All scientific disciplines are advancing, but few so fast and with such potential to impact our lives as the field of neuroscience. That's what Dana Foundation President Caroline Montojo told me last month when we discussed that foundation's newest … [Read more...] about Neuroscience Funders Are Moving in Unexpected Directions: Three Boundary-Pushing Initiatives
A Billionaire Couple’s Quest to Cure the Genetic Disorder That Claimed Their Son’s Life
The Gilbert Family Foundation, established in 2015 by Rocket Companies founder Dan Gilbert and his wife Jennifer, was formed in large part to advance research into the genetic condition neurofibromatosis type one (NF1), a rare but serious genetic … [Read more...] about A Billionaire Couple’s Quest to Cure the Genetic Disorder That Claimed Their Son’s Life
For This Hoops Player, Fighting Dyslexia Is a Family Affair
The Payton name is well-known to us ’90s kids. Thirty-one-year-old Gary Payton II was part of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors 2022 championship team that triumphed over the Boston Celtics in the finals in six games. The younger Payton is the son of … [Read more...] about For This Hoops Player, Fighting Dyslexia Is a Family Affair
A Longtime Neuroscience Funder Pivots to Giving the Public a Voice in Research
If you're not a working research neuroscientist, you may not have heard of the Dana Foundation. But you've very likely heard of its founder, the late Charles A. Dana, via the more widely known Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. It was back in 1950 that … [Read more...] about A Longtime Neuroscience Funder Pivots to Giving the Public a Voice in Research
A Foundation’s Long Quest to Take on Huntington’s Disease Picks Up Speed
On a Wednesday night in late January, about 30 people associated with the Hereditary Disease Foundation met at Michael’s restaurant in Santa Monica to mark the end of a two-day working conference of researchers from around the country and to … [Read more...] about A Foundation’s Long Quest to Take on Huntington’s Disease Picks Up Speed
Backed By Sergey Brin, the Newest Force in Parkinson’s Research Looks to Speed Cures
These are exciting times for Parkinson's disease research, driven in large part by a relatively new philanthropic force, Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP). The organization was established in 2019 by Google cofounder and centibillionaire … [Read more...] about Backed By Sergey Brin, the Newest Force in Parkinson’s Research Looks to Speed Cures
How CZI’s Tech Team Builds New Tools to Unlock Advances in Biomedical Research
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is atypical among grantmaking organizations for a few reasons. While it makes traditional grants to nonprofits — in areas like education, science, health, climate and justice — it's not technically a foundation or … [Read more...] about How CZI’s Tech Team Builds New Tools to Unlock Advances in Biomedical Research
How Two Bioscience Funding Giants are Partnering to Advance Synthetic Biology Research
The Allen Institute and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative share some DNA when it comes to their approach to research in the biosciences: both are interested in furthering what's called foundational science, the basic knowledge and tools that can help … [Read more...] about How Two Bioscience Funding Giants are Partnering to Advance Synthetic Biology Research
A Big Gift to UC San Diego is the Latest Philanthropic Push to Better Understand Psychedelics
Psychedelic drugs like psilocybin and LSD have shown real promise as safe and effective therapies for stubbornly hard-to-treat maladies like depression, post-traumatic stress disorders and addiction — in addition to their well-known impacts on … [Read more...] about A Big Gift to UC San Diego is the Latest Philanthropic Push to Better Understand Psychedelics
Moved by a Schizophrenia Diagnosis, This Family Is Channeling Millions Toward Mental Health
The symptoms began when Brandon Staglin was 18 years old and home from his freshman year at Dartmouth. First, there was stress over a recent break-up, then anxiety, sleeplessness and confusion. Later, Brandon began hearing voices and developed the … [Read more...] about Moved by a Schizophrenia Diagnosis, This Family Is Channeling Millions Toward Mental Health
This Under-the-Radar Foundation Backs Medical Research. But There’s a Dark Side to Its Story
The Larry L. Hillblom Foundation has been quietly funding medical research at leading California universities and institutions since 1996, with approximately $132 million across 262 grants awarded to date, according to a tally on the foundation’s … [Read more...] about This Under-the-Radar Foundation Backs Medical Research. But There’s a Dark Side to Its Story
A Major Gift for Alzheimer’s at a Pivotal Time for the Development of Treatments
Alzheimer’s disease, by far the most common form of dementia, affects more than 6 million Americans, causing a steady loss of cognitive function, memory, a fundamental disappearance of the sense of identity, and eventually, death. Efforts to develop … [Read more...] about A Major Gift for Alzheimer’s at a Pivotal Time for the Development of Treatments
CZI’s Grant for Diversity in Neuroscience is a Positive Development. Is it Part of a Larger Trend?
With its February announcement of a two-year, $1 million grant to a new Baltimore initiative focused on racial disparities in the field of neuroscience, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative didn’t just take another step toward its goal of funding research … [Read more...] about CZI’s Grant for Diversity in Neuroscience is a Positive Development. Is it Part of a Larger Trend?
What We Learned From a Deep Dive into Neuroscience Research Giving
In a 2017 blog post titled “Why I’m Digging Deep into Alzheimer’s,” Bill Gates announced he had invested $50 million in the Dementia Discovery Fund to support startups “as they explore less mainstream approaches to treating dementia.” As the richest … [Read more...] about What We Learned From a Deep Dive into Neuroscience Research Giving
How a Grantmaker Focused on Rare Diseases Galvanizes Critical Research and Patient Support
One of the big takeaways from our forthcoming State of American Philanthropy report on funding for neurological research is the sprawling footprint of patient advocacy organizations focusing on a broad swath of activities like research, education, … [Read more...] about How a Grantmaker Focused on Rare Diseases Galvanizes Critical Research and Patient Support
A Funding Leader Lays Out Key Priorities in Neuromuscular Disease Research
If I had to pick which disease research funder has gotten its name out in front of the most IP readers in their lifetimes, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) would be near the top of the list. While not terribly large — it had $63 million in … [Read more...] about A Funding Leader Lays Out Key Priorities in Neuromuscular Disease Research
As Americans Grow Older, These Funders are Advancing the Field of Cognitive Aging Research
As people live longer, society will grapple with unprecedented demand for prevention, diagnosis and treatment pertaining to certain neurological conditions. For example, researchers expect the number of people living with Alzheimer’s disease to … [Read more...] about As Americans Grow Older, These Funders are Advancing the Field of Cognitive Aging Research
This Research Funder Is on a Mission to Cure — and Destigmatize — Epilepsy
CURE Epilepsy (CURE) was founded in 1998 by a group of parents of children with epilepsy — a disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain becomes abnormal, causing seizures — who were frustrated with the state of treatment. “There was this idea … [Read more...] about This Research Funder Is on a Mission to Cure — and Destigmatize — Epilepsy
“A Period of Rapid Change.” How the ALS Association Shepherded a New Treatment to Market
In the summer of 2014, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge went viral on social media, prompting people all over the world to dump ice water on their heads to promote awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Within six weeks, the ALS Association, … [Read more...] about “A Period of Rapid Change.” How the ALS Association Shepherded a New Treatment to Market
“Explore the Gaps.” A Closer Look at the Kavli Foundation’s Neuroscience Grantmaking
In 1986, Omni magazine editors Judith Hooper and Dick Teresi wrote a book called “The Three Pound Universe,” laying out a series of riveting new discoveries in the somewhat nascent field of neuroscience. As the title suggests, the authors presented … [Read more...] about “Explore the Gaps.” A Closer Look at the Kavli Foundation’s Neuroscience Grantmaking
Of Mice and Men: How Paul Allen’s Giving Set the Stage for an Ambitious Effort to Map the Human Brain
Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder who passed away in 2018, and whose science philanthropy was driven by equal parts curiosity and a willingness to take on difficult questions, created the Allen Institute for Brain Science back in 2003, with a … [Read more...] about Of Mice and Men: How Paul Allen’s Giving Set the Stage for an Ambitious Effort to Map the Human Brain
Taking on Paralysis, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Seeks to “Care and Cure”
Forty years ago, spinal cord injury (SCI) was viewed as an intractable problem due to the belief that the spinal cord was incapable of repair or regeneration. But in many ways, this was a self-fulfilling prophecy since researchers lacked the funds to … [Read more...] about Taking on Paralysis, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Seeks to “Care and Cure”
Why Three Deep-Pocketed Funders Joined Forces to Take on Bipolar Disorder
Among serious forms of mental illness, bipolar disorder has been one of the least-funded in terms of research. In fact, it’s seen sharply diminishing support in recent years, even as federal funding for other forms of mental illness has increased. … [Read more...] about Why Three Deep-Pocketed Funders Joined Forces to Take on Bipolar Disorder
Seven Questions for Stephen Quake, the New Head of Science at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
As the chief philanthropic vehicle of Meta multibillionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) has the financial resources to take on big challenges. It has done so: CZI set a goal to drive biomedical research … [Read more...] about Seven Questions for Stephen Quake, the New Head of Science at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
A Big Research Gift Shows How One Family Foundation Balances Tradition and Innovation
Earlier this month, a Colorado-focused funder called the Gates Family Foundation (no relation to that other Gates foundation) announced a $100 million gift to advance stem cell and gene therapies for cancer and other ailments. The money is going to … [Read more...] about A Big Research Gift Shows How One Family Foundation Balances Tradition and Innovation
How a Big Donation Will Help Stanford Scientists Team Up to Unlock Secrets of Brain Disease
We can safely identify one theme in the philanthropy of Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife Penny: very large gifts to universities. In 2020 alone, the Knights reportedly gave $465 million to the University of Oregon, and with other commitments … [Read more...] about How a Big Donation Will Help Stanford Scientists Team Up to Unlock Secrets of Brain Disease
Is Smartphone Use Taking a Toll on Kids? This New Family Foundation Wants to Find Out
Most of us are hostages to our smartphones to one degree or another. Whether we’re texting friends, checking email, catching up on the news, or clicking on travel pics and cute kitty videos, it’s hard to resist that hit of dopamine. Even late night … [Read more...] about Is Smartphone Use Taking a Toll on Kids? This New Family Foundation Wants to Find Out
