Twice a year, the members of the Science Philanthropy Alliance gather to talk about the successes and challenges they face in their basic science giving, and to learn from each other. .

One key factor that influences the culture of a foundation is whether their founder is still actively engaged in the work of the foundation. Gordon and Betty Moore are no longer involved in the day-to-day decision-making at their foundation, but they developed a statement of intent for the leaders and staff, outlining core values and motivations for their philanthropy as well as what they hope to accomplish and how they intend the foundation to operate.

The Moore statement of intent includes four filters:

  1. whether a question of possible support is really important,
  2. if it can make an enduring difference,
  3. if it is measurable, and
  4. if it contributes to a portfolio effect.

At the end of the day, philanthropy is about finding opportunities that “others won’t or can’t support,” as Harvey said. It’s about giving back to society for the long term. And now, with the administration’s proposal of significant cuts in basic research funding, private philanthropy’s interaction with basic research matters more than ever. Only through pursuing basic science research can we begin to explore applied science.

Read the source article at medium.com