About Brown University
Brown University advances education, research and scholarship across a wide range of disciplines to generate knowledge and real-world impact — from health and medicine to science, engineering, the arts, social sciences and public affairs — and to prepare students to be leaders and problem-solvers.
Focus Areas
Higher educationScientific researchHealth and medicineNeurosciencePublic healthEngineering and technologyArts and humanitiesEntrepreneurship and innovationCommunity engagement
Who They Fund
unspecified
Funding Style
subcontractingcontractual/service-based funding
About Brown University
Brown University’s grantmaking is shaped by a strong research enterprise: its largest recent awards are subcontract grants to major hospitals, universities, and federal agencies, with Rhode Island Hospital in Providence receiving $3,145,722 in 2024 and $2,548,273 in 2023. The pattern points to a university that funds research and training across health, science, and scholarship rather than a narrow program area. In the recent grants list, Brown appears as a funder of biomedical and academic work at institutions such as Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Boston and New York University School of Medicine in New York. Its giving aligns with the university’s broader priorities in education, research, science and engineering, health and medicine, and the humanities. The active grant programs show support for undergraduate research opportunities, faculty research awards, biomedical innovation translation, and workforce development initiatives in Rhode Island. That mix suggests a funder that uses project-specific awards, subcontracting, and short-term support to move research and training projects forward while also backing campus-based student and faculty activity. The overall portfolio is national in scope, with most recent recipients located outside Rhode Island.
What Brown University Funds
Health and medicine is a major theme in Brown University’s grantmaking. Recent awards include $2,188,530 to Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Boston and $984,746 to Salk Institute Of Biological Studies in La Jolla for subcontracted research support. The university also backs biomedical research infrastructure and translational work. It gave $899,315 to New York University School of Medicine and $721,365 to American Health Care Association, both as subcontract grants in 2024, showing support for research partners beyond campus. On the academic side, Brown funds undergraduate research and humanities work through campus programs such as the John Hay Library Undergraduate Fellowship Program and undergraduate research opportunities. It also supports entrepreneurship and innovation through the Brown Venture Prize, which awards student-led ventures.
How Brown University Gives
Brown University’s typical grant size is $33,950 at the 25th percentile, $90,083 at the median, and $252,492 at the 75th percentile. The recent-grants list also shows a small set of large subcontract awards alongside many mid-sized research grants. Recipient names recur across years: Rhode Island Hospital, US Government Census Bureau, Hebrew Rehabilitation Center, Case Western Reserve University, and New York University School of Medicine all appear more than once. The foundation is a regular funder rather than a donor-advised fund, and it does not make program-related investments. Several active programs accept unsolicited applications, including Brown Venture Prize, Brown Biomedical Innovations to Impact, Salomon Faculty Research Awards, and Brown Workforce Development Grants.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$47M
Total Assets
$11.3B
Total Revenue
$2.1B
Total Expenses
$1.8B
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $34K and $252K, with a median of $90K.
25th Percentile
$34K
Median
$90K
75th Percentile
$252K
Geographic Reach
National38 states funded
About 12% of grants go to recipients in MA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
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