Introduction to Science Philanthropy: Part Four - Charting a Course in Science Philanthropy

This article is the third in a four-part series to introduce you to the world of science philanthropy. These articles are based on materials developed with support from the Gates Foundation with the goal of increasing philanthropic support for scientific research and development. Additional materials can be found at Future Science Now and Philanthropic Partnerships at the Gates Foundation.

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“I’m an optimist about the state of science—this moment is an opportunity to reimagine the ecosystem for an even stronger future.” - Lynda Stuart, MD, PhD, President and CEO, Fund for Science and Technology

Amidst a rapidly changing science funding landscape in the U.S., there is an opportunity for individual funders to consider what kind of role they want to play to influence future scientific discovery for our health and our planet.

Is your client a long-term visionary? A strategic risk-taker? A catalytic innovator? 

Whether or not these are roles your client plays in their everyday life or business, donors make a big difference in the current moment by adopting one or more of these approaches in the world of science philanthropy. Private funders to research play a variety of roles as they work to mitigate climate change, or cure a disease.

Potential Roles

Funders tend to either choose or grow into certain philanthropic archetypes. Here are three of the most common, along with examples of funders in each category and they may embody multiple roles.

1. Long-Term Visionary

   Common practices of long-term visionaries in science philanthropy include supporting early career scientists, seeding underfunded areas, and building underlying infrastructure and tools needed for research in a particular field to leap ahead.

   Developing the next generation of talent by funding early career scientists is a proven approach for long-term impact. By “early career scientist” I mean graduate students working on their masters or PhDs, post-doctoral fellows, and associate faculty who are not yet tenured faculty. For example, Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering provide early-career scientists and engineers generous funding ($875,000 over 5 years). It’s “no strings attached” funding that each scientist can use in whatever way would best advance their research. One measurement of the impact of the Packard Fellowships is that many of the 710 fellows funded since 1988 have become leaders in their field, receiving Nobel Prizes and earning election to the National Academies of Science, Engineering, or Medicine.

   I’ve often seen that when scientists receive significant and prestigious funding early in their careers from private funders such as the Packard Fellowships, Sloan Research Fellowships, or Searle Scholars Program, the endorsement leads to additional funding from other donors and philanthropies. Thus, seeding scientists early in their career can influence their success, both scientifically and with securing follow-on funding. In addition, encouraging interdisciplinary research early in a scientist’s career can seed fresh perspectives through programs such as the recently established Shanahan Foundation Fellowship at the Interface of Data and Neuroscience at the Allen Institute.

2. Strategic Risk-Taker

   When former financier Michael Milken was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in 1993 at age 46, he responded by founding the Prostate Cancer Foundation and later Faster Cures at the Milken Institute. His proactive approach challenged conventional research funding models, encouraged rapid sharing of data and results between scientists, and boosted fundraising for individual researchers. As a result, it is fair to say he changed the trajectory of prostate cancer research - and his own disease was successfully treated and ultimately cured. Milken listened to the scientific community and took risks beyond conventional norms, urging and enabling the acceleration of typical scientific timelines. 

   We saw similar acceleration of scientific timelines during the recent COVID-19 pandemic when vaccines were developed at breakneck speed, urged on and funded by many donors who were willing to “move fast and fix things” as this Inside Philanthropy article describes. These risk-taking funders included large philanthropies such as the Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Wellcome Trust, along with many smaller foundations and individual donors. 

3. Catalytic Innovator

   Another way for donors to catalyze scientific breakthroughs is to give generously and without restrictions. Trust the scientists to know how to best utilize the resources they receive and minimize their reporting requirements. According to the Trust Based Philanthropy Project, “philanthropy is a set of grantmaking practices that facilitate trust and transparency between funders and nonprofits.”

   One admired example of playing the role of a trusted and catalytic innovator is the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). An established biomedical research organization that funds basic science research, HHMI is renowned for its HHMI Investigator Program. Their model of generous funding and a long grant period (a whopping $11 million per investigator over a renewable seven-year term) gives scientists time to embark on audacious experiments without the restriction of short-term deliverables. HHMI Investigators have the luxury to conduct longer-term research projects, pivoting when something isn’t working or an alternative approach arises. According to technological innovation and management professor Pierre Azoulay, HHMI’s long-term grants to high-potential scientists made those scientists 96% more likely to produce breakthrough work. And the more generously a scientist is funded, the more likely they will decrease the time they spend writing grants and doing administration, and increase the amount of time they spend on actual scientific research. Thus more senior scientists can also spend more time training the next generation of scientists.

Most importantly, remember to give generously to shift the scientists time from administration to research. That’s when the discoveries will happen that can change outcomes for the health of people and our planet.

Other articles in Introduction to Science Philanthropy Series: 

Part 1 - Introduction to Science Philanthropy

Part 2 - How Does Giving to Science Work?

Part 3 - Finding Partners on Your Science Philanthropy Journey

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