News broke this week of a $1 billion donation to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a gift that's earmarked to pay for tuition for all future students at the Bronx, New York, institution. It's the latest big philanthropic gift to address one of … [Read more...] about A Huge Gift to Cut Medical School Tuition Looks to Make a Dent in a Deep Systemic Problem
Science Education
Can Philanthropy and Government Work Together to Drive Socially Responsible Tech?
Technology, whether in the form of stone axes or cell phones, has always been part of human life and society, for better or for worse. Recently, people have begun asking how technology can be developed such that it falls more predictably on the "for … [Read more...] about Can Philanthropy and Government Work Together to Drive Socially Responsible Tech?
How Dalio Philanthropies’ OceanX is Working to Diversify Marine Research and Teaching
As in many STEM fields, Black students and scientists have been historically underrepresented in ocean studies, today making up less than 3% of ocean scientists. A substantial element of the work of five-year-old OceanX — the research and education … [Read more...] about How Dalio Philanthropies’ OceanX is Working to Diversify Marine Research and Teaching
How a Transformative Educational Experience Led to a Tech Winner’s Huge Surprise Bequest
The name Franklin Antonio may not ring a bell, but chances are high that you regularly use technology he helped develop. Antonio, who died in 2022 at the age of 69, was cofounder and chief scientist of the semiconductor giant Qualcomm, which makes … [Read more...] about How a Transformative Educational Experience Led to a Tech Winner’s Huge Surprise Bequest
A Look at How the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Backs Biomedical Researchers
For nearly 80 years, Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) has supported biomedical research, providing financial and even nonfinancial help to researchers across the span of their careers, and pursuing other efforts to encourage STEM education and diversity … [Read more...] about A Look at How the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Backs Biomedical Researchers
How Wall Street Winner Anne Dinning Backs Anti-Poverty Work and More
While Wall Street is still very much white and male, we’ve been tracking a growing number of women and people of color who have also made millions, if not billions, in high finance. A while back, I wrote about several women who were members of the … [Read more...] about How Wall Street Winner Anne Dinning Backs Anti-Poverty Work and More
A Tech Winner Seeks Policy Change to Advance Racial Justice in the Industry
Over the last four decades, the tech industry has transformed American society in countless ways. And it has made a lot of people a lot of money, with many tech company founders and investors becoming exceedingly wealthy. And many other folks have … [Read more...] about A Tech Winner Seeks Policy Change to Advance Racial Justice in the Industry
How Is Philanthropy Backing Science Journalism?
Among the many economic changes brought on by the explosion of the internet during the first decades of the current century was the implosion of the advertising-driven business model that for decades supported most newspapers and publications. The … [Read more...] about How Is Philanthropy Backing Science Journalism?
IP Briefing: What’s Going on with Philanthropy for STEM Education?
In a sentence: STEM education is one of the few areas where corporate funders play an outsized role in philanthropy. What’s going onSTEM education is a favorite of corporate funders and major donors including Jeff Bezos and Phil Knight, as well as … [Read more...] about IP Briefing: What’s Going on with Philanthropy for STEM Education?
The Country’s Oldest Science Philanthropy Plays the Long Game by Supporting Young Scientists
The Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) is the country’s first and oldest philanthropic foundation devoted to basic sciences. But it’s not as well known as, say, a Kavli or a Simons, maybe in small part due to its somewhat confusing … [Read more...] about The Country’s Oldest Science Philanthropy Plays the Long Game by Supporting Young Scientists
How This Dedicated Cleveland Funder Is Backing the City’s Cultural Institutions
Earlier this year, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation announced a $3 million grant to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History to support the development of a new community space and to provide free admission every Sunday to residents.The … [Read more...] about How This Dedicated Cleveland Funder Is Backing the City’s Cultural Institutions
A Big Gift to Barnard College Highlights Need and Opportunity to Support Women in STEM
The STEM gender gap—the historic underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies and jobs—remains wide, despite years of lip service from higher education about closing the gap, and 50 years after passage of … [Read more...] about A Big Gift to Barnard College Highlights Need and Opportunity to Support Women in STEM
For Fundraisers in STEM Education, Both New and Familiar Challenges
Education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields is a key interest for many philanthropic funders, including corporations, foundations and public sources such as the National Science Foundation. Nevertheless, a number of … [Read more...] about For Fundraisers in STEM Education, Both New and Familiar Challenges
Scientists and Laypeople Speak Different Languages. This Funder Wants to Bridge the Gap
As we’ve seen with events like climate change and the continuing pandemic, people who are not scientists or medical doctors are also not at all shy about sharing scientific or medical opinions.It’s true even when people are basing their opinions on … [Read more...] about Scientists and Laypeople Speak Different Languages. This Funder Wants to Bridge the Gap
Philanthropy Has Fallen Short in Its Efforts to Make STEM More Diverse—We Have the Tools to Fix It
Every fall, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Higher Education program conducts site visits to grantee campuses to get closer to the ground, assess progress, and meet with the faculty, staff and students whom we hope to empower in advancing racial … [Read more...] about Philanthropy Has Fallen Short in Its Efforts to Make STEM More Diverse—We Have the Tools to Fix It
Nursing Gets Relatively Little Philanthropic Attention. Here’s How a Family Foundation Prioritizes the Field
When we think of healthcare in this country, doctors may spring to mind at first, but in fact, nursing is the largest professional segment within the industry, with nurses delivering most of the patient care in hospital and long-term care settings. … [Read more...] about Nursing Gets Relatively Little Philanthropic Attention. Here’s How a Family Foundation Prioritizes the Field
Bloomberg’s Latest Racial Equity Move Taps a Familiar Grantee to Diversify STEM
Mike Bloomberg, a mega-billionaire who was not born rich, owes much of his success to science and technology. He got an undergrad degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and famously went on to make a fortune through Bloomberg … [Read more...] about Bloomberg’s Latest Racial Equity Move Taps a Familiar Grantee to Diversify STEM
How One Funder Is Bringing Greater Diversity to Cancer Research Labs
In an era when racism is being increasingly called out, one area that doesn’t make the front page so often is academia, specifically scientific research, where African Americans are significantly underrepresented. One funder is addressing this … [Read more...] about How One Funder Is Bringing Greater Diversity to Cancer Research Labs
Why a Private Funder is Partnering With a Federal Agency to Improve Science Communication
Between COVID-19 vaccines, smartphones, in-car satellite navigation and the crucial but incomprehensible magic of streaming television, most people are aware that technology and applied science play a big role in everyday life. And most understand … [Read more...] about Why a Private Funder is Partnering With a Federal Agency to Improve Science Communication
Coding for Kids: 5 Things to Know About Google.org’s Support for a Popular Learning Platform
The way people work is changing, and so are the core skill sets they’ll need to succeed in the 21st century. Beyond the nuts and bolts of tech proficiency, employers expect more than half of all jobs to require high degrees of cognitive skills like … [Read more...] about Coding for Kids: 5 Things to Know About Google.org’s Support for a Popular Learning Platform
America’s Richest Family Makes Another Big Gift to its Hometown School, This Time for Research
The Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation—aka, the other Walton foundation, not the Walton Family Foundation—doesn’t have much of a public profile, but it isn’t exactly hiding, either. High-dollar philanthropy coming from America’s wealthiest … [Read more...] about America’s Richest Family Makes Another Big Gift to its Hometown School, This Time for Research
How a Corporate Funder is Pushing Forward the Frontiers of Remote Learning
About a year ago at the Social Innovation Summit in Los Angeles, I connected with Eduardo Cetlin, Amgen Foundation president and executive director of philanthropy and responsibility at Amgen Inc. Created in 1991, the Amgen Foundation is the … [Read more...] about How a Corporate Funder is Pushing Forward the Frontiers of Remote Learning
In the Latest Big Campus Environmental Gift, a Push to Cross Boundaries
State support for higher education still drags behind historical levels despite some gains in recent years, and many universities continue to run ambitious fundraising campaigns. Charitable giving to colleges and universities continued its climb … [Read more...] about In the Latest Big Campus Environmental Gift, a Push to Cross Boundaries
Geek Chic: How a Funder Uses Film to Get the Public Jazzed About Science
In 2003, before funders began giving millions for STEM education or calling on Americans to view scientists the way they value athletes, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Sundance Institute began a collaboration focused on highlighting “the … [Read more...] about Geek Chic: How a Funder Uses Film to Get the Public Jazzed About Science
A “Scientist at Heart,” This Financial Services Billionaire Focuses on Tech and Society
We’ve written about Two Sigma co-founder John Overdeck, a mathematician turned investment manager who, along with his wife Laura, who received an astrophysics degree from Princeton, moves philanthropy through the Overdeck Family Foundation. STEM … [Read more...] about A “Scientist at Heart,” This Financial Services Billionaire Focuses on Tech and Society
What the Right Hand is Doing: The Paradoxical Giving of a Billionaire Mega-Donor
With a net worth of about $12.8 billion, Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of hedge fund Citadel, is a funder with deep pockets who often favors giving in his hometown of Chicago. He’s invested in the arts, education and medicine in Illinois, as well as … [Read more...] about What the Right Hand is Doing: The Paradoxical Giving of a Billionaire Mega-Donor
Behind a Big Boost for a Legacy Institution, Deep-Pocketed Conservationists
Legacy institutions like museums, libraries, zoos and gardens are continually balancing the maintenance of historic missions with efforts to evolve and attract contemporary audiences and funders. For example, in recent years, we’ve seen zoos around … [Read more...] about Behind a Big Boost for a Legacy Institution, Deep-Pocketed Conservationists
Supporting Science Teachers and Students: A Look Inside the Amgen Foundation
Created in 1991, the Amgen Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Amgen Inc., one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies. Amgen is legendary for its profitability, its large cash reserves and its red-hot stock, which has nearly … [Read more...] about Supporting Science Teachers and Students: A Look Inside the Amgen Foundation
Closing the Digital Divide: How Comcast-NBCUniversal Does Community Impact
One way to measure inequality in the country is through the digital divide. A Pew Research Center article revealed that even as lower-income Americans make gains in tech adoption, the divide persists. Around 29 percent of adults with household … [Read more...] about Closing the Digital Divide: How Comcast-NBCUniversal Does Community Impact
Another Huge Gift Finds Donors Responding to Surging Demand for Engineering Grads
Writing in The Conversation last year, Case Western Reserve University’s Peter E. Knox argued that “There’s simply no evidence that the U.S. lacks the scientists or engineers it needs, as many donors claim.”Donors, however, disagree. What’s more, … [Read more...] about Another Huge Gift Finds Donors Responding to Surging Demand for Engineering Grads
