Private Foundation Funders
US and international private foundations, trusts and disease-focused charities that fund academic research: eligibility, application mechanics, letters of inquiry, limited-submission processes and how foundation awards differ from federal grants.
Guides
Leukemia Society Grants: Blood Cancer United (Formerly LLS) Research Programs
Leukemia Society grants now run through Blood Cancer United (formerly LLS): who can apply to the DGP, CDP and TRP, budget caps and exclusions.
Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) Grants: Eligibility and Review
How amfAR (Foundation for AIDS Research) grants work: RFP stages, Target Grants eligibility, scoring weights and Krim Fellowships, per its official pages.
Getty Foundation: Grants, Eligibility and How to Apply
The Getty Foundation funds art history, conservation, collections and training projects. See who can apply, how calls work and how residential grants differ.
Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE): Eligibility, LOI and Grant Process
FORE takes no unsolicited proposals: how its RFP, Letter of Intent, review and Board approval process works, who is eligible and what is excluded.
Whiting Foundation: Programs, Eligibility and How Funding Works
Which Whiting Foundation programs accept applications, what the $40,000 Nonfiction Grant requires, and why the Whiting Award has no application.
Wenner-Gren Foundation: Anthropology Grants, Eligibility and How to Apply
Wenner-Gren Foundation grants for anthropology: who is eligible, what the Dissertation Fieldwork Grant funds, deadlines, review time and resubmission rules.
Sarah Scaife Foundation: Grant Guidelines, Application Requirements and Exclusions
Sarah Scaife Foundation grant guidelines: who is eligible, the 13 required application items, the hard-copy rule for new applicants, and what it declines.
Charles H. Hood Foundation: Child Health Research Awards, Eligibility and Application
Charles H. Hood Foundation child health grants: $200,000 over two years, New England eligibility, and the concept paper then invited proposal steps.
CDC Foundation: What It Is and How Its Funding Works
The CDC Foundation is an independent charity, not an open grant program. See who runs it, how RFP sub-grants work, the 16% fee and CDC grants.
Whitehall, Klingenstein, Dreyfus, and Pew Biomedical Scholars: Niche Discipline-Specific Research Foundations
A comparison of four discipline-specific early-career research foundations — Whitehall (neurobiology), Klingenstein (neuroscience), Dreyfus (chemical sciences), and Pew Biomedical Scholars — covering field scope, award size, and whether you can apply directly or need an institutional nomination.
American Heart Association Research Grants and How Disease-Focused Charities Fund Research (vs. NIH)
How disease-focused charities like the American Heart Association fund research differently from NIH: smaller awards, capped F&A/indirect costs, lay-summary requirements, and patient-advocate review, with a real charity-to-charity comparison table.
Russell Sage Foundation Grants: Programmes, Eligibility, and How to Apply
A programme-by-programme guide to Russell Sage Foundation funding for US social science research: Core Research Grants (Presidential vs. Trustee tiers), Pipeline and Dissertation Research Grants, the Causal Research on the Criminal Justice System programme, and the Visiting Scholars residential fellowship — with award ceilings, the letter-of-inquiry application model, eligibility, indirect-cost rules, and what RSF does not fund.
The Spencer Foundation: Education Research Grant Guide
How the Spencer Foundation’s research-grant programs work: Small and Large Research Grants, the NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship, eligibility, application routes, and the F&A/indirect-cost rules that differ sharply from federal awards.
Major Private Foundations That Fund Institutional Research
A comparison map of the 12 major private foundations that fund institutional and programme-scale research — disciplinary focus, application route, limited-submission rules, and the indirect-cost caps that differ sharply from federal rates.
Private Foundation Research Funding: How It Differs from Federal Grants
Private foundation grants run on different rules than federal awards: lower and often non-negotiable indirect-cost caps, limited-submission internal competitions, letter-of-inquiry gating, nomination-only programs, and relationship-driven stewardship instead of standard federal reporting.
