Philanthropy News for Diseases
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As the U.S. Dials Back AIDS Relief, Can Philanthropy Maintain Lifesaving Services?
PEPFAR-related service disruptions have already resulted in nearly 100,000 deaths. The good news is that AIDS-related philanthropy has ticked up, but more is needed.
The Matthew Perry Foundation Zeroes in on Destigmatizing Addiction
Established after the actor’s death in 2023, the foundation is focused on reframing how addiction is talked about and treated. Ade Adeniji reports from its inaugural Summit on Addiction and Recovery.
“Broken Status Quo”: Melinda French Gates’ Latest Investment in Women and Girls
A new Pivotal partnership with a health research accelerator aims to turbocharge advancements in women’s health.
How the American Brain Foundation’s Targeting a Key Element in Neurological Health
As research funding cuts take their toll, here’s some good news: an effort to get to grips with a critical factor in nearly every brain disorder, including dementia, epilepsy, schizophrenia and hundreds of others.
“Threats to Our Communities”: Stupski Foundation Accelerates Its Spend Down — and Giving
CEO Glen Galaich explains why the San Francisco-based funder is ramping up grantmaking and winding down ahead of schedule.
Can Philanthropy Cover for Government Cuts to Global Health? Yes — Sometimes
There is a lot that private funders can do. Here’s one example: the WHO Foundation and ELMA’s move to preserve a network tracking the growing measles threat.
Hereditary Disease Foundation’s Meghan Donaldson on Funding for Huntington’s Disease
NIH cuts have led to increased reliance on organizations like the Hereditary Disease Foundation to fund research for often overlooked conditions.
A Deep Dive into an HHS Document Itemizing Billions in Terminated Funding
Funders who want to do something about threats to cancer research, public health, cultivating diverse faculty and more can see the exact names and numbers behind cuts at the HHS.
“Patients Will Suffer.” Cancer Research Funders Respond to Federal Funding Cuts
Seven prominent cancer research funders speak up about how the Trump administration’s draconian spending cuts are affecting their operational calculus.
Amazon Wealth Powers Liesl and Jeff Wilke’s Giving for Lyme Disease, Education and More
Getting in early at Amazon has its perks. For this Seattle couple, that includes standing up a foundation and a family giving tradition for the next generation.
“We Need Some Champions Here.” The Colorectal Cancer Alliance Calls Out Underfunding
Though only lung cancer causes more U.S. deaths, colon cancer funding has been stagnant. And now the disease is mysteriously rising among young people.
Ultra-Rare-Disease Groups Get a Boost from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Just-announced Rare As One grants from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative will have a big impact at nonprofits like the mitochondrial disorder patient group CureARS.
With New Drugs on the Market, the Alzheimer’s Association Continues to Rake in Support
At a recent gala in New York, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, daughter of the legendary performer Rita Hayworth, spoke with Ade Adeniji about her mother’s legacy and about raising money for Alzheimer’s research.
One Family Aims to Change the Game in Pancreatic Cancer Research with a Million-Dollar Prize
After losing their wife and mother to pancreatic cancer, entrepreneurs Emmet Stephenson and daughter Tessa Stephenson Brand gave $150 million to the City of Hope cancer research center. The goal: a cure.
As Funding Dwindles, HIV and AIDS Remain as Much an Issue of Human Rights as of Health
A new report shows a continued decline in HIV giving as infection rates in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and other regions rise. Long-underserved groups, including women and girls, are disproportionately impacted.
Why Five Spinal Cord Injury Organizations Teamed Up to Launch a New Venture Philanthropy Fund
SCI Ventures, launched with $27 million, will invest in companies developing new therapies and technologies to treat spinal cord injuries and paralysis. Spearheading the effort is the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.
The WHO Foundation: Applying a “Start-up Mentality” to the Challenges of Global Health
Founded amid the pandemic, the World Health Organization’s foundation channels philanthropic cash to rapid responses, several medium-term priorities, and bigger bets. We connected with CEO Anil Soni to learn more.
A Billionaire Couple’s Quest to Cure the Genetic Disorder That Claimed Their Son’s Life
A year after their son died as a result of complications from neurofibromatosis, mortgage lending billionaire Dan Gilbert and his wife Jennifer continue to plow research dollars into the incurable genetic disorder.
From Grassroots Beginnings, the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation Now Funds Nationwide
Started by a group of families to support a single researcher, this funder aims to advance basic science and drive better treatments and cures. It now provides millions in annual grants and has plans to expand further.
Post-WeWork, the Neumanns Are Still Billionaires. Whatever Happened to Their Philanthropy?
Before being forced out of the company, Adam and Rebekah Neumann signaled some big philanthropic aspirations. They’re still very wealthy; did they continue giving?
A Public-Private Cancer Funder Backs Team Science and Targets Inequities in Care and Outcomes
Cancer Grand Challenges has announced $125 million across five new grants to take on key questions in cancer research and to better understand causes of poorer health outcomes for certain patient populations.
A Foundation’s Long Quest to Take on Huntington’s Disease Picks Up Speed
The neurodegenerative disease gets less funder attention than other more common conditions, which is why a set of new $1 million research grants from the Hereditary Disease Foundation could really move the needle.
Backed By Sergey Brin, the Newest Force in Parkinson’s Research Looks to Speed Cures
Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s, established by the Google cofounder, wants to diversify genetic research into the neurodegenerative disease. Its latest big grant will expand the geographic scope of a key international study.
Five Questions for Alice Pomponio, Head of the American Cancer Society’s Impact Investing Arm
The ACS is the largest nongovernment, nonprofit funder of cancer research in the U.S. We spoke with the head of BrightEdge, its venture capital team, which uses a for-profit model to advance the mission.
How the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Is Working to Ensure Equitable Access to Care
A top priority for cancer research funders is ensuring that patients receive equitable and timely access to treatment and care. We check in with a leading advocate and grantmaker to see how it’s approaching this work.
A Quiet Exodus: Funders Exit HIV Giving Even as Equity Gaps Grow
For World AIDS Day, guest authors Athena Cross, Carl Baloney and Jesse Milan Jr. call attention to diminishing HIV-related philanthropic support, despite prevailing racial equity gaps in diagnoses and treatment.
Paul Allen’s Philanthropic Legacy Continues with Funding for a Brand-New Field of Health Research
The late Microsoft co-founder’s Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group has launched its newest Discovery Center. Its goal: exploring how the human nervous system and immune system interact to shape health and disease.
Progress on Breast Cancer Hasn’t Been Evenly Distributed. This Funder’s on the Case
Tackling demographic disparities in outcomes and care has been a big priority for cancer funders lately. Susan G. Komen, a major backer of breast cancer research, care and advocacy, is no exception.
Starting With a Big Boost for Rare Disease Research, This Couple Are Ramping Up Their Giving
Mike and Sofia Segal came to the U.S. in 1978 from Ukraine with $120 and built a fortune in the electric power industry. Now, they’re rolling out a set of big donations, starting with a $17 million gift to fight a rare blood cancer.
Military Experience Is Less Common Today, But These Funders Are Staying True to Veterans
Philanthropy for veterans often stems from personal or family experience, making a decline in the percentage of Americans who’ve served a cause for concern. But these veterans-focused funders bucked that trend in 2023.
