Kissick Family Foundation

About Kissick Family Foundation

A defining feature of the Kissick Family Foundation is its willingness to make seven-figure commitments to research and intermediary organizations. In 2025, the foundation gave $1,000,000 to 10000 Brains Neuro AI for translational brain research, and it also supported ocean-climate work through a $750,000 grant to Ocean Visions. Those grants sit alongside major support for institutions that connect science, policy, and implementation, including The Windward Fund and the Milken Institute. The pattern suggests a funder that backs projects with technical depth and a pathway to practical use, rather than a broad retail grantmaker. The foundation also shows a clear interest in research institutions and science-adjacent conveners. Its recent grants include support for Stanford University, the University of Washington Foundation, Mayo Clinic, and the University of Cambridge, as well as organizations working through fiscal sponsors or intermediaries. Alongside those larger institutional awards, it has made meaningful grants to youth-focused groups such as Digital Harbor Foundation and Year Up. Across the portfolio, the Kissick Family Foundation appears to favor targeted, program-specific funding in areas where science, policy, and applied solutions overlap.

What Kissick Family Foundation Funds

In neuroscience, the foundation gave $1,000,000 to 10000 Brains Neuro AI Inc for translational work on brain research. That fits with its active Dementia Research & Awareness program, which supports early-stage research and awareness-building around biomarkers and cures for neurodegenerative diseases, especially frontotemporal dementia. Environmental grantmaking is centered on ocean and climate work. The foundation awarded $750,000 to Ocean Visions for ocean-based climate solutions, and also gave $500,000 to Spark Climate Solutions Inc for climate-related work. Its active Ocean-Based Climate Solutions program is focused on catalytic ideas and organizations working on ocean-based climate solutions. The foundation also funds public-facing science and policy work. It gave $885,500 to The Milken Institute for its convening and policy role, and $300,000 to Purpose Campaigns LLC. Youth learning appears as a smaller but present line of support, including a $500,000 grant to Digital Harbor Foundation for STEM and digital skills education.

How Kissick Family Foundation Gives