Private funders in the Philadelphia area are stepping in to support research funding after the Trump administration’s cuts left hundreds of millions of dollars in funding at risk. The Philadelphia Foundation, which has funded local community health work and research for decades, received 171 applications for its grant program, three times the usual number.
The foundation’s Brody Family Medical Trust Fund fellowship pays for local research into incurable diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. Virologist Helena Winstone at the University of Pennsylvania recently secured funding for two years to study Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, which has a higher mortality rate than COVID-19 and no approved treatment.
Neuroscientist Sophie Hill at the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania also received funding from the fellowship to research genetic mutations that cause epilepsy. The funding is crucial for her long-term goal of running her own lab.
Some foundations are banding together to fill the gap, citing concerns about reprisals. Alonzo Plough, chief science officer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, says philanthropy can respond quickly to emergency situations like this one.
While some private funders are stepping in, it’s unclear whether they can fully replace the billions of dollars in federal funding that was lost. The National Institutes of Health declined comment on the issue, but a spokesperson stated the agency is reviewing grants to address chronic disease epidemics.
Source: https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-foundation-trump-research-funding-cuts