Foundation Funding to Support Faculty Research Presented to LSA Research Administrators 1 Prepared by: University of Michigan Office of University Development -Foundation Relations Maureen S. MartinAllison McElroy Executive DirectorAssociate Director

Overview 2 1. Foundation basics 2. How foundations work 3.Top funders 4.Support for research administrators and faculty

The Basics: What is a foundation? 3 A private charity established to make grants that meet a mission created in its chartering There are 87,142 foundations in the U.S. (as of 2013) Foundations granted more than $55 billion in 2013 The top 25 foundations (.03%) gave 23.5% of all funding nationally

Types of Foundations and how universities engage with them Useful Distinctions Legal Distinctions PrivateFamilyProfessional Community Operating Corporate 4 Industry support; usually managed by Corporate Relations staff Behave like Individual Donors; usually managed by Major Gift Officers Usually managed by Foundation Relations staff

Professional Foundations: Who leads? 5 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – Seattle, WA Assets: $41 Billion, Annual giving: $3.3 Billion Wellcome Trust* – London, England Assets: $26 Billion, Annual giving: $1.2 Billion * historically funded only within UK; starting to make grants in the US Ford Foundation – New York, NY Assets: $12.2 Billion, Annual giving: $560 Million Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – Princeton, NJ Assets: $10.1 Billion, Annual giving: $337 Million W.K. Kellogg Foundation – Battle Creek, MI Assets: $8.6 Billion, Annual giving: $294 Million William & Flora Hewlett Foundation – Menlo Park, CA Assets: $8.6 Billion, Annual giving: $240 Million

Funding to Top Public Universities 6

Context at Michigan U-M Total External Research Funding U-M Foundation Funding (sponsored and non-sponsored) 7 Foundation Share of Research Expenditures $1 Billion $60 Million < 3%

FY15 Foundation Giving to U of M Corporate 8

How Foundations Work 9 Professional foundations are mission-driven They have a strategy to solve a problem or a suite of problems Our projects have to fit their mission, goals, and agenda Not all proposals are peer-reviewed Program officers: highly knowledgeable about content Exceptions can include research in natural and life sciences

10 What Foundations Like Their own goals Innovation and risk Evidence of young investigator promise Bold, active language Creative or leading edge science Applied research *While these are massive generalizations, they hold with most foundations.

11 What Foundations Don’t Like Establishing or operating “centers” Student support* Market-driven solutions Publishing as the outcome * Other than students engaged in the work While these are massive generalizations, they hold with most foundations.

Support for the Sciences 12 Push the envelope of science; bridge innovative ideas into NIH and NSF; want to be where no one else is. Some think federal funding system of review is broken or isn’t paying enough attention to their area(s) of interest. Think private philanthropy can have quicker impact on the world’s problems (Gates) Focus attention on a particular problem or disease (Cancer Society)

13 Investigator show passion and promise Research creative and leading edge Proof-of-concept projects New solutions to challenging problems Natural Sciences: high-risk, high-reward

Social Sciences: Applied research; outcomes and impact 14 What problem does this help solve? Who benefits? What will be different at the end of the project? Research to inform policy and decision-making Often a focus on underserved populations; community-based

Arts & Humanities: Original scholarship; capacity building 15 Facilitate scholarly research Strengthen institutional base in the humanities Strengthen teaching and learning Expand lifelong learning opportunities; increase access to arts and cultural institutions Place-based performances & presentations, esp. reaching out to new audiences

16 Top funders to Michigan Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Lifetime giving: $117,065,910 W.K. Kellogg Foundation Lifetime giving: $102,058,823 Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Lifetime giving: $91,408,710 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Lifetime giving: $56,106,789 Ford Foundation Lifetime giving: $55,082,550 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Lifetime giving: $27,189,967

Foundation funding at LSA Sum Andrew W. Mellon Foundation $268,000$83,467$2,486,300$3,000,000 $5,837,767 Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation $835,712 $883,275 $1,718,987 The Korea Foundation $450,000$425,174$413,898$423,011$1,712,083 Helmsley Charitable Trust $263,420$457,600 $721,020 John Templeton Foundation $256,040$256,036$128,018 $640,094 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation $100,000$106,000$137,904$113,348$50,000$507,252 Howard Hughes Medical Institute $500,000 David and Lucile Packard Foundation $175,000 $87,500 $437,500 The Burroughs Wellcome Fund $80,712$90,000$120,000$80,000$10,000$380,712 Dreyfus Foundation $10,000$160,000 $210,000 $380,000

Foundations can make a difference as niche funders 18 Support for junior faculty in launching careers Prestige for early & established investigators Support “out-of-the-box” ideas Add modest levels of funding diversity to research portfolio Can help weather downturns in federal funding

19 RA’s can help advise and connect to foundation funding Complementary skillsets and work Requires good communication Can help faculty find new funding sources Example: Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation - Moore Inventor Fellows Program

20 Help from Foundations Relations 1:1 advisory meetings with faculty members or RAs Targeted prospecting of potential funders Presentations to faculty or research administrators Strategic analysis of foundation support within units Connect faculty with foundation program officers Facilitate proposal development and submission process Articulate proposal content in terms of foundation language

Resources 21 foundations.umich.edu

Maureen S. MartinAllison McElroy Executive DirectorAssociate Director Foundation Relations staff UM Library Research Guides Grants and Fundraising Foundation and Grants Librarians 22 Resources