A Vision for the Future of Science Philanthropy
By Evan S. Michelson and Adam F. Falk,
Issues in Science and Technology
| 11. 09. 2021
Although we can envision many ways that the scientific enterprise might evolve in the future, an often-overlooked component will surely play an essential role: science philanthropy. By this we mean the provision of charitable giving for science or technology research by individual donors or foundations. As Robert Conn, past president and chief executive officer of The Kavli Foundation, details in his overview of the emergence of philanthropic giving for research, science philanthropy has always played a critical and leading role in America’s approach to research and development, with a history that predates much of the federal funding apparatus.
Today, the landscape of science philanthropy is rapidly changing. It consists of both established and newer foundations, a constellation of institutions including organizations with an illustrious history of giving for research as well as entities created more recently. Collectively, science philanthropy accounts for at least $2 billion in annual support for research. If we include spending from university endowments that supports research at those institutions, the total impact of philanthropy on science is estimated to be as much as $20 billion per...
Related Articles
By Alondra Nelson, Science | 09.11.2025
In the United States, the summer of 2025 will be remembered as artificial intelligence’s (AI’s) cruel summer—a season when the unheeded risks and dangers of AI became undeniably clear. Recent months have made visible the stakes of the unchecked use...
By Emma McDonald Kennedy
| 09.25.2025
In the leadup to the 2024 election, Donald Trump repeatedly promised to make IVF more accessible. He made the commitment central to his campaign, even referring to himself as the “father of IVF.” In his first month in office, Trump issued an executive order promising to expand IVF access. The order set a 90-day deadline for policy recommendations for “lowering costs and reducing barriers to IVF,” although it didn’t make any substantive reproductive healthcare policy changes.
The response to the...
By Johana Bhuiyan, The Guardian | 09.23.2025
In March 2021, a 25-year-old US citizen was traveling through Chicago’s Midway airport when they were stopped by US border patrol agents. Though charged with no crime, the 25-year-old was subjected to a cheek swab to collect their DNA, which...
By Julie Métraux, Mother Jones | 09.23.2025