Foundation Relations: Helping Faculty Members Secure Private Financial Support

The BUMC Foundation Relations team is a resource for BUSM, BUSPH and GSDM faculty members seeking support for research, healthcare, and educational initiatives from foundations, organizations, associations and other private funders. These philanthropies are especially important sources of support for early-stage, disease-focused research, early-career investigators, and high-risk science that is less likely to interest federal funders.

The three-member BUMC Foundation Relations team works with faculty to:

  • proactively seek well-aligned funders,
  • initiate conversations between faculty and program directors, and
  • partner in the development of clear, responsive proposals.

When working with Medical School faculty, Foundation Relations collaborates in preparing proposals with the BUSM Proposal Development team, a separate group with complementary expertise.

Annually, the Medical Campus Foundation Relations team submits approximately 150 pre-proposals and proposals and assists in securing more than $6 million in grants. In general, Foundation Relations focuses on projects that require $100,000 or more and are led by faculty who are required to seek funding through the medical school.

To read the Foundations Relations impact report, click here. If you or your colleagues could benefit from private funding, please contact David Gillerman, Director, Foundation Relations for the Medical Campus, dgillerm@bu.edu.