Glenn Foundation for Medical Research
OVERVIEW: The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research supports research on the aging processes at leading research universities and medical institutes in the U.S.
IP TAKE: The Glenn Foundation’s philanthropy consists mainly of ongoing support to named research centers on aging. It also funds research, postdoctoral and scholarship programs through the American Federation for Aging Research. While a relatively accessible funder, this foundation is laser-focused on medical research and aging processes, so only apply if your work is a close match. This is a straight-forward funder that is supportive of its grantees and awardees. However, note that it doesn’t take big risks when funding.
PROFILE: The Glenn Foundation for Medical Research was founded in 1965 by Paul F. Glenn, a private equity and venture capital veteran who is the chair of the Cycad Group. The foundation, which is based in Santa Barbara, California, seeks to “extend the healthy years of life through research on mechanisms of biology that govern normal human aging and its related physiological decline, with the objective of translating research into interventions that will extend healthspan with lifespan.” This funder supports gerontology research and related projects in medical education.
Grants for Brain and Cell Research
The Glenn Foundation supports biology research in gerontology and aging processes, providing ongoing support to the Paul F. Glenn Laboratories for Senescence Research at the Mayo Clinic, the Glenn Center for Research on Aging at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Additionally, the foundation awards yearly Glenn Awards to outstanding researchers for whom “funding shortages threaten to impede scientific progress.” An anonymous scientific advisory committee selects between ten and twenty recipients each year from a pool of nominees. The foundation also supports individual researchers with its Breakthrough in Gerontology (BIG) Awards, which support research projects “of relatively high risk but which offer significant promise of yielding transforming discoveries in the fundamental biology of aging.” BIG Awards consist of two-year grants of up to $200,000, with up to four recipients chosen each year. Applications for this program are accepted via the American Federation for Aging Research.
Grants for Higher Education
A significant portion of the Glenn Foundation’s research funding is directed at elite medical research universities. The foundation provides ongoing support to the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of aging Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Glenn Center for Quantitative Aging Research at Princeton University, the Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Glenn Center for Aging Research at the University of Michigan and the Paul F. Glenn Laboratories for the Biological Mechanisms of Aging at Harvard University. Additional funding for higher education stems from Glenn’s scholarship and postdoctoral research grant programs. Scholarships support students enrolled in MD, DO or Ph.D. programs who engage in three- to six-month research projects on aging, while postdoctoral grants support fellowships in biomedical research on aging. Grants have gone to scholars and students at universities including Wake Forest School of Medicine, the University of California at San Diego, Temple University School of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine and the Oregon Health and Science University. Applications for scholarship and postdoctoral programs are accepted via the American Federation for Aging Research.
Important Grant Details:
The Glenn Foundation’s philanthropy totals about $10 million a year, with most funding going to affiliated research centers and named research, fellowship and scholarship programs, which are awarded in set amounts. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s Glenn Centers and awards and programs pages.
Applications for Glenn’s postdoctoral and scholarship programs are accepted via the American Federation for Aging Research. General inquiries may be directed to foundation staff via telephone at 805-684-6518.
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