Other Foundation Funding

COVID-19 Related Funding

We connected researchers and other experts with proposals for how to fight the virus with access to funding. We then began a large-scale analysis of the pandemic response in the scientific and clinical research field to identify unmet needs.

One early key takeaway from the analysis identified the importance of keeping the public, local governments and other stakeholders informed of COVID-19 prevalence and disease spread in their communities. Another clear need was for identification of and robust clinical trial support for affordable early treatments, specifically for repurposed drugs for COVID-19. In the spring of 2020, we began making grants in this area.

As the reality of the global pandemic hit home, we tried to find ways to simplify our grant processes and increase flexibility amidst unprecedented times and an impossible-to-predict climate. We also partnered with community leaders and elected officials to find ways to solve tangible challenges like how to help essential workers find childcare or how to increase access and availability to live-saving vaccines.

The devastating short and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic will not be known for another generation, but at the time of this writing, there is reason for hope. American poverty levels are at the lowest point since estimates were first released in 1959, even as American education outcomes are the worst we’ve ever seen. The rise of virtual learning to reach rural and remote people, the use of mRNA technology to create effective COVID-19 vaccines and the proliferation of telehealth options are all advancements accelerated by the pandemic.

To learn more about the organizations we served, we invite you to read our COVID-19 Funding section taken from our annual report.