To be the premier global, sports medicine organization for orthopaedic surgeons and other professionals who provide comprehensive health services for the care of athletes and active people of all ages and abilities. We cultivate evidence-based knowledge, provide extensive educational programming, and promote emerging research that advances the science and practice of sports medicine.
AOSSM’s grantmaking is built around orthopaedic sports medicine research, with some of its largest recent awards going to research institutions studying clinical outcomes and injury recovery. The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine awarded $359,548 to Oref in 2025 and $150,000 to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2025, both as research project grants. Those awards sit alongside a broad portfolio that supports evidence-based knowledge, emerging research, and educational programming for orthopaedic surgeons and other professionals caring for active people of all ages and abilities. The foundation’s recent grants show a clear preference for project-specific support to academic and medical centers. Vanderbilt University, Mayo Clinic, NYU Langone Department of Orthopedic Surgery, and Hospital for Special Surgery all appear among the recent recipients, indicating that AOSSM works through established research and clinical institutions. Its active grant programs also include dedicated support for young investigators, annual meeting research awards, and fellowship training, which together point to a funding model that blends research development with professional education. Programmatic awards such as the Playmaker Grant Lab and the Return to Play Clinical Research Grant show how the organization connects grantmaking to defined research questions in sports medicine.
AOSSM funds several distinct but related areas of sports medicine work. In return-to-play research, the society offers a $200,000 clinical research grant to support studies on return to play after musculoskeletal injury. In early-career research, the Steven P. Arnoczky Young Investigator Grants provide $40,000 awards for both basic science and clinical research. For smaller project development, the Playmaker Grant Lab gives $25,000 research grants presented at the Annual Meeting. The organization also supports research tied to specific clinical problems. Its AOSSM-AF Hip Osteoarthritis Grant funds studies on hip pathology and the rapid development of osteoarthritis, and the Osteoarthritis Grant focuses on osteoarthritis and sports medicine research. Education is another recurring theme: the Annual Meeting Resident Scholarship supports U.S.-based orthopaedic surgery residents with meeting attendance costs, while the Traveling Fellowship program provides international exposure for emerging leaders in the field.
$890K
$19.5M
$9.3M
$10.5M
Most grants fall between $20K and $31K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$31K
About 9% of grants go to recipients in NY.
DR ROBIN WEST
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The typical grant size clusters tightly around $20,000 to $31,250, with a $25,000 median and a $31,250 third quartile. That pattern matches a portfolio built around defined, time-limited project support rather than open-ended operating grants. The recent grants list also shows repeat recipients across multiple years, including Oref, Mayo Clinic, Vanderbilt University, The Nemours Foundation, and University of Utah, which suggests recurring relationships rather than one-off awards. AOSSM’s structure includes competitive, award-based funding and program-specific research grants, and several active opportunities accept unsolicited applications.
Grant activity is national, with all recent grants going to U.S. recipients. Tennessee is the top state by grant count, even though the foundation is headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois. Recent awards landed in Nashville, Rochester, New York, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Jacksonville, and Boston, showing a spread across major medical and research centers. Illinois accounts for 13% of grants, reflecting some in-state giving but not the main concentration.
Recent grants go to academic medical centers, hospitals, and research institutions, including Oref, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Vanderbilt University, Mayo Clinic, NYU Langone Department of Orthopedic Surgery, and Hospital for Special Surgery. The beneficiary profile is centered on individual researchers, research teams or labs, and academic and research institutions.
The grant-size distribution is concentrated near $25,000. The 25th percentile is $20,000, the median is $25,000, and the 75th percentile is $31,250. Active programs also include smaller awards such as the $1,000 Annual Meeting Resident Scholarship and larger grants such as the $200,000 Return to Play Clinical Research Grant.
Yes. Oref appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Mayo Clinic appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Vanderbilt University appears in 2023 and 2024; The Nemours Foundation appears in 2024 and 2025; and University of Utah appears in 2023 and 2024. That pattern indicates repeat funding relationships.
The foundation supports orthopaedic sports medicine research, clinical education and continuing medical education, fellowship and trainee support, patient resources and outcome measurement, and clinical and translational research. Specific active programs include return-to-play research, hip osteoarthritis studies, young investigator grants, and Annual Meeting research awards.
No. The geographic scope is national, and the recent grants all went to U.S. recipients. The top state by grant count is Tennessee, and Illinois recipients account for 13% of grants.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OREF | ROSEMONT, IL | $359,548 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL | BOSTON, MA | $150,000 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| THE NEMOURS FOUNDATION | JACKSONVILLE, FL | $41,000 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| MAYO CLINIC | ROCHESTER, MN | $25,700 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM | MILWAUKEE, WI | $25,000 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| NYU LANGONE DEPARTMENT OF ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTRESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER | DALLAS, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $24,000 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO | LOS ANGELES, CA | $24,000 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER | ROCHESTER, NY | $15,960 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| 3B MEDICAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $13,200 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY | COLUMBUS, OH | $13,200 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| MAYO CLINIC ARIZONA | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $13,200 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| DETROIT EDUCATION AND RESEARCH | DETROIT, MI | $13,200 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| TRIA ORTHOPEDIC CENTER PROGRAM | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $13,200 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $13,200 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MEDICINE FOUNDATION | JACKSON, MS | $13,200 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | LOS ANGELES, CA | $13,200 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| NEW YORK UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $13,200 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF UTAH | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $12,500 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| CARILION MEDICAL CENTER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT | ROANOKE, VA | $10,000 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| CURATORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI | COLUMBIA, MO | $8,000 | 2025 | RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT |
| OREF | ROSEMONT, IL | $259,548 | 2024 | GRANT |
| VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER | NASHVILLE, TN | $50,000 | 2024 | GRANT |
| MAYO CLINIC | ROCHESTER, MN | $42,462 | 2024 | GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF UTAH | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $37,500 | 2024 | GRANT |
| WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SERVICES | WINSTONSALEM, NC | $25,000 | 2024 | GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAN CENTER | DALLAS, TX | $25,000 | 2024 | GRANT |
| TEXAS SCOTTISH RITE HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN | DALLAS, TX | $24,986 | 2024 | GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER | ROCHESTER, NY | $24,000 | 2024 | GRANT |
| THE NEMOURS FOUNDATION | JACKSONVILLE, FL | $24,000 | 2024 | GRANT |
| CAMPBELL CLINIC FOUNDATION | GERMANTOWN, TN | $16,000 | 2024 | GRANT |
| CARILION MEDICAL CENTER | ROANOKE, VA | $10,000 | 2024 | GRANT |
| OREF | ROSEMONT, IL | $90,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY | NASHVILLE, TN | $50,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| OSCHSNER CLINIC FOUNDATION | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $25,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| SANFORD HEALTH | SIOUX FALLS, ND | $25,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| MAYO CLINIC | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $25,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH FOUNDATION | CLEVELAND, OH | $25,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS DRUSINSKY SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE | MAYFIELD VILLAGE, OH | $25,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF UTAH | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $25,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $16,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIV OF CALIFORNIA SF | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $16,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| CAMPBELL FOUNDATION | MEMPHIS, TN | $16,000 | 2023 | GRANT |
| UNIV OF CONNECTICUT HEALTH CENTER | FARMINGTON, CT | $12,500 | 2023 | GRANT |
OREF
$359,548RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
$150,000RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
THE NEMOURS FOUNDATION
$41,000RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
MAYO CLINIC
$25,700RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM
$25,000RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY
$25,000RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
NYU LANGONE DEPARTMENT OF ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY
$25,000RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTRESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER
$25,000RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
$24,000RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO
$24,000RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
$15,960RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
3B MEDICAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC
$13,200RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
$13,200RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
MAYO CLINIC ARIZONA
$13,200RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
DETROIT EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
$13,200RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
TRIA ORTHOPEDIC CENTER PROGRAM
$13,200RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
$13,200RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MEDICINE FOUNDATION
$13,200RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
$13,200RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
$13,200RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
$12,500RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
CARILION MEDICAL CENTER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
$10,000RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
CURATORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
$8,000RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT
OREF
$259,548GRANT
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
$50,000GRANT
MAYO CLINIC
$42,462GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
$37,500GRANT
WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SERVICES
$25,000GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAN CENTER
$25,000GRANT
TEXAS SCOTTISH RITE HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN
$24,986GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
$24,000GRANT
THE NEMOURS FOUNDATION
$24,000GRANT
CAMPBELL CLINIC FOUNDATION
$16,000GRANT
CARILION MEDICAL CENTER
$10,000GRANT
OREF
$90,000GRANT
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
$50,000GRANT
OSCHSNER CLINIC FOUNDATION
$25,000GRANT
SANFORD HEALTH
$25,000GRANT
MAYO CLINIC
$25,000GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH FOUNDATION
$25,000GRANT
UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS DRUSINSKY SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE
$25,000GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
$25,000GRANT
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
$16,000GRANT
REGENTS OF THE UNIV OF CALIFORNIA SF
$16,000GRANT
CAMPBELL FOUNDATION
$16,000GRANT
UNIV OF CONNECTICUT HEALTH CENTER
$12,500GRANT
Current and upcoming funding from American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Research in orthopaedics pertaining to the military population or general population.
Deadline: Apply by August 7, 2026.
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