PHOTO CREDIT: Kris Snibbe/Harvard Public Affairs & Communications
Our funding for biomedical research seeks to expand discoveries of genomic medicine. We fund research at the frontiers of molecular biology that could lead to important breakthroughs for clinical practice.
We also support talented scientists in the early stages of their careers, or “young investigators.” We invest resources in an effort to keep young investigators engaged in research instead of clinical practice only. Our hope is that our support launches or boosts a scientist’s career, which leads to funding from other sources to sustain his or her work.
“When my daughter was in medical school, she found that many of the smartest kids in the class wanted to go into research but couldn’t because the NIH no longer funded young investigators as they had in the past. Here we were on the cusp of major, life-changing advancements in biological sciences and our brightest young minds couldn’t afford to make them because of debt from college and medical school. I said ‘we’ve got to find a way to help'.” - LOUIS V. GERSTNER, JR.
Featured Grantee
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) is the world’s oldest and largest private cancer center and has devoted more than 135 years to exceptional patient care, innovative research, and education programs. Over the past two decades, Gerstner Philanthropies has worked with MSKCC to support young investigators focused on advancing biomedical and cancer research through a range of programs and projects. In 2004, Gerstner Philanthropies committed $15 million to establish the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, which opened its doors and began training the next generation of biomedical scientists in 2012. In 2008, inspired by the challenges in securing funding for young biomedical researchers, Gerstner Philanthropies supported 23 early-career MSKCC scientists through a $5 million grant to establish the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Young Investigators Fund. Most recently, Gerstner Philanthropies awarded $25 million to establish the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Physician Scholars Program. Starting in 2022, this program will provide an annual cohort of outstanding junior faculty with the financial resources to support their work and build the foundation needed to create momentum and gain access to other funding sources to advance their work. To learn more, please visit mskcc.org.
Our Grantees
Major Biomedical Research Grants
Grants listed below may be from the Gerstner Family Foundation or another Gerstner family philanthropic vehicle. Amounts may reflect cumulative annual grants or multi-year grants. To see annual amounts, please see listings of grants paid each year.
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American Museum of Natural History
New York, NY | Visit Website
To fund the Gerstner Scholars Program in biological research.
$6,655,000
To establish the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Collections Core at the museum's Gilder Center.
$10,000,000
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Broad Institute
Cambridge, MA | Visit Website
To establish the Gerstner Center for Cancer Diagnostics.
$15,000,000
To fund the Cancer Drug Resistance Project.
$10,000,000
To fund a large-scale genomic study of the causes of ADHD.
$4,645,352
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Columbia University Medical Center
New York, NY | Visit Website
To fund the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Scholars Fund.
$11,000,000
To establish the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Clinical Research Center in Vision.
$2,500,000
To fund the faculty development fund in Ophthalmology.
$200,000
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Hospital for Special Surgery
New York, NY | Visit Website
To fund a study on the biomechanical effects of surgical spine fusion.
$500,000
To fund a clinical trial for regional pain syndrome and to study degenerative disk disease.
$500,000
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Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA | Visit Website
To fund the Louis V. Gerstner III Research Fund to support young investigators studying ADHD.
$2,012,880
To support the emergency cash grant program.
$50,000
To support the Louis V. Gerstner, III ADHD Innovation Study.
$300,000
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Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN | Visit Website
To fund five initiatives across the Clinic, including research in the use of augmented human intelligence in cardiovascular care, care for arthritis and spine pain using regenerative medicine and data analytics, the Gerstner Family Career Development Award
$13,750,000
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY | Visit Website
To establish the Gerstner Sloan Kettering School of Biomedical Sciences.
$15,000,000
To establish the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Young Investigator awards.
$5,000,000
To establish the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Physician Scholars Program.
$25,000,000
Biomedical Research News
Four VP&S Physicians Named 2022 Gerstner Scholars
