Ian's Friends Foundation is primarily a medical-research funder, with a strong emphasis on pediatric and academic biomedical research. They direct multi-year and repeat funding to major university medical centers and children's hospitals nationwide while maintaining roots in Atlanta through local grantees. Their grants overwhelmingly support research projects and clinical science rather than general operating support or community services.
Concentrated, large gifts to a relatively small set of institutional grantees with repeat multi-year support; funding is national in scope but often routed to major research universities and pediatric hospitals rather than many small nonprofits.
Ian's Friends Foundation Inc. concentrates its giving on medical research, with most recent grants flowing to academic medical centers and children's hospitals. In 2025, the largest listed award was $414,365 to the University of Michigan for medical research, followed by another $220,180 grant to the same institution. The pattern points to project-specific support for investigator-led work rather than general operating aid. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta appears as a repeated recipient in the recent grants list, with grants of $195,000 and $166,367 in 2025 and $110,000 in 2023. Other recipients include Johns Hopkins, Duke University, Columbia University, UPMC, and Weill Cornell Medical College, showing a mix of pediatric, clinical, and academic research settings. The foundation's stated focus areas emphasize pediatric medical research, translational research, cancer and serious illness research, and research infrastructure. It also directs some funding to Atlanta institutions, including Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University, while giving across major U.S. research centers.
Pediatric medical research is a clear priority. The foundation gave $195,000 to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta in 2025 and another $166,367 to the same hospital for medical research, reinforcing support for children's health research within a hospital setting. Its academic medicine funding also reaches major university centers. In 2025, Ian's Friends Foundation Inc. awarded $414,365 to the University of Michigan for medical research, and it gave $103,255 to Ichan School of Medicine in New York for the same purpose. Clinical and translational research is reflected in grants to institutions such as Duke Univeristy, which received $107,959 in 2025 and $89,393 in 2025, and Columbia University, which received $95,806 in 2025. The foundation also supports research infrastructure and investigator-led studies through grants to UPMC, Weill Cornell Medical College, and the University of Florida, each listed with medical research as the purpose.
Typical grant sizes cluster tightly around the low six figures: the p25 is $96,189, the median is $102,037, and the p75 is $110,750. The recent list shows repeat awards to the same institutions across multiple years, including the University of Michigan, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Johns Hopkins, Duke Univeristy, UCSF, and Weill Cornell Medical College. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated one-off gifts. The foundation is a private grantmaker; it funds institutions, not individuals, and the listed grants are restricted to medical research purposes.
$2.1M
$3.4M
$1.4M
$1.4M
Most grants fall between $96K and $111K, with a median of $102K.
25th Percentile
$96K
Median
$102K
75th Percentile
$111K
About 20% of grants go to recipients in FL.
PHIL YAGODA
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Notable grantees: University of Michigan, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Johns Hopkins University / Hopkins Children's Foundation, Weill Cornell Medical College, Duke University
Grantmaking is U.S.-only in the recent sample, with 25 grants and 100% going to U.S. recipients. New York is the top state by grant count, followed by Georgia through recipients in Atlanta. Other recipient locations appearing in the list include Ann Arbor, Durham, St. Petersburg, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Gainesville, San Diego, Athens, and Chapel Hill. Georgia accounts for 25% of grants, reflecting a meaningful but not dominant share of the foundation's giving.
It gives to academic medical centers, children's hospitals, and research institutions. The recent grants list includes the University of Michigan, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Johns Hopkins, Duke University, Columbia University, UPMC, and Weill Cornell Medical College, all with medical research as the stated purpose.
The grant-size distribution is fairly tight. The 25th percentile is $96,189, the median is $102,037, and the 75th percentile is $110,750. Several listed awards cluster near that range, including $100,000, $103,255, $107,959, and $110,000 grants.
No. The foundation funds organizations rather than individuals, and the recent grants list is entirely made up of institutional recipients such as hospitals, universities, and medical schools.
New York is the top state by grant count. Georgia also receives a notable share, accounting for 25% of grants, with recipients in Atlanta appearing multiple times in the recent list.
The foundation focuses on pediatric medical research, clinical and translational research, cancer and serious illness research, and support for research infrastructure and investigator-led studies. The recent grants all use medical research as the stated purpose, with repeated support for children's hospitals and major university medical centers.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN | ANN AUBOR, MI | $414,365 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN | ANN AUBOR, MI | $220,180 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE OF ATLANTA | ATLANTA, GA | $195,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| JOHNS HOPKINS | ST PETERSBURG, FL | $180,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE OF ATLANTA | ATLANTA, GA | $166,367 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| DUKE UNIVERISTY | DURHAM, NC | $107,959 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| ICHAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE | NEW YORK, NY | $103,255 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| UNIVESITY OF MASSACHUSETTS | AMHURST, MA | $100,500 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| UPMC | PITTSBURGH, PA | $100,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| WEIL CORNELL MEDICAL COLLEGE | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $95,806 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| DUKE UNIVERISTY | DURHAM, NC | $89,393 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA | GAINESVILLE, FL | $55,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| RADYS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL | SAN DIEGO, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| UCSF | ORLANDO, FL | $42,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA | ATHENS, GA | $35,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| UNC AT CHAPEL HILL | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $22,443 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN | ANN AUBOR, MI | $113,000 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE OF ATLANTA | ATLANTA, GA | $110,000 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S | COLUMBUS, OH | $109,343 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| UCSF | ORLANDO, FL | $104,074 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| WEIL CORNELL MEDICAL COLLEGE | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| JOHNS HOPKINS | ST PETERSBURG, FL | $99,942 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| HOPKINS CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION | ST PETERSBURG, FL | $84,931 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| EMORY UNIVERSITY | ATLANTA, GA | $75,000 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
$414,365MEDICAL RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
$220,180MEDICAL RESEARCH
CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE OF ATLANTA
$195,000MEDICAL RESEARCH
CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE OF ATLANTA
$166,367MEDICAL RESEARCH
MEDICAL RESEARCH
UNIVESITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
$100,500MEDICAL RESEARCH
UPMC
$100,000MEDICAL RESEARCH
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
$95,806MEDICAL RESEARCH
DUKE UNIVERISTY
$89,393MEDICAL RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
$55,000MEDICAL RESEARCH
UCSF
$42,000MEDICAL RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
$35,000MEDICAL RESEARCH
UNC AT CHAPEL HILL
$22,443MEDICAL RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
$113,000MEDICAL RESEARCH
CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE OF ATLANTA
$110,000MEDICAL RESEARCH
UCSF
$104,074MEDICAL RESEARCH