The Mission of Research Corporation for Science Advancement is to advance early stage, high-potential, basic scientific research. RCSA provides catalytic funding for research and sponsors conferences to support an engaged community of early career faculty, innovative ideas for basic research, integration of research and science teaching, interdisciplinary research, and building the academic leadership of the future.
Research Corporation dba Research Corporation for Science Advancement centers its funding on early-stage, high-potential basic scientific research, with a strong emphasis on chemistry, physics, astronomy, and interdisciplinary work that connects research and teaching. A recurring feature of its grantmaking is support for early-career faculty and scholars through the Cottrell Scholar ecosystem, including a $120,000 award to the University of California Riverside for "Skeletal Editing of Silicon Nanostructures & Student-Created Social Media Videos to Close the Achievement Gap" and another $120,000 award to the University of Michigan for "Unveiling Cosmic Treasures: Exploring the secrets of astromineralogy with X-ray imaging spectroscopy." The foundation also backs collaboration-building and community formation, as seen in a $193,142 grant to Northwestern University for "Developing Mathematical Models for the Formation of New Collaborations at Conferences." Its portfolio combines research awards, conference-related support, and awards that recognize scientific excellence, suggesting a model that mixes direct project funding with field-building support. The subject matter ranges from quantum chemistry and condensed matter to biomolecular structure, spectroscopy, and astronomy, with education woven into several awards.
In astronomy and astrophysics, the foundation supported multiple projects tied to cosmic structure and observation. It gave $120,000 to California Institute of Technology for "Planetesimal interiors: Searching for evidence of core material" and $120,000 to Harvard University for "Searching for New Physics with Galactic Neutrinos." In chemistry and materials science, it funded $120,000 to Trinity University for "Interface-Induced Changes to Electronic Structure and Reactivity of Environmentally-Relevant Polycyclic Aromatic Species" and $100,000 to University of Southern California for "Controlling the Product Selectivity for the Catalytic Dechlorination of Poly(Vinyl Chloride)." Education and training appear inside research awards as well; Case Western Reserve University received $120,000 for "Measuring Cosmic Birefringence in the Presence of Galactic Foregrounds and Improving Career Preparation Through Advanced Physics Labs." The grant list also shows work in biomolecular and enzymatic research, including a $120,000 award to Hamilton College for "Characterization of enzymes that build and degrade spore cortex peptidoglycan."
Current and upcoming funding from Research Corporation Dba Research Corporation for Science Advancement that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Cottrell Scholars and Holland Awardees, regardless of award year.
Deadline: Applications are accepted any time.
$8.2M
$241.5M
$29.1M
$18.3M
Most grants fall between $16K and $55K, with a median of $55K.
25th Percentile
$16K
Median
$55K
75th Percentile
$55K
About 15% of grants go to recipients in MI.
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Research Corporation Dba Research Corporation for Science Advancement.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 477 | $22.4M | 97.5% |
| 2 | Canada | 12 |
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Typical awards cluster around a median of $55,000, with a lower quartile of $16,359 and an upper quartile of $55,000, while the recent list also includes a number of $120,000 research awards. The foundation gives through a defined program structure rather than a broad open call across all areas: several active programs are nomination-based or invitation-based, while others accept unsolicited applications, including the Cottrell Scholar Award, Scialog, RCSA Fellows, Cottrell SEED Awards, and Cottrell Regional Meeting Awards. The recent grant list shows repeat funding to the same institution across years, including Northwestern University in 2023, 2024, and 2025 for the same collaboration-modeling project. The organization is a regular funder and also funds individuals.
Grant recipients are overwhelmingly in the United States, with 477 grants there versus 12 in Canada. Arizona accounts for 15% of grants, but the giving footprint is broader and national. Recent recipients include Evanston, IL; Ann Arbor, MI; Riverside, CA; Cleveland, OH; and Pasadena, CA. Michigan appears often in the grant-count data, and the recent list also includes Canadian support, such as Kingston, ON at Queen's University for a quantum chemistry and machine learning project.
Its stated mission is to advance early-stage, high-potential basic scientific research. The recent grant list shows recurring support for chemistry, physics, astronomy, and interdisciplinary work, including quantum chemistry, condensed matter, biomolecular structure, spectroscopy, and science education linked to research training.
It funds individuals as well as institutions. The active program list includes awards for early-career teacher-scholars and postdoctoral scholars, and the foundation is classified as a regular funder that also makes grants directly to researchers and scholars through named award programs.
The typical grant size sits at a median of $55,000, with a p25 of $16,359 and a p75 of $55,000. The recent grant list also shows several awards at $120,000 and one at $193,142, so the distribution includes both smaller support and larger research awards.
Some programs accept unsolicited applications, including the Cottrell Scholar Award, Scialog, RCSA Fellows, Cottrell SEED Awards, and Cottrell Regional Meeting Awards. Other programs are not open to unsolicited applications and rely on nomination or invitation-based selection, including the Cottrell Scholars Collaborative Awards, RCSA Bridge Award, Cottrell STAR Award, and Robert Holland Jr. Award.
It gives most often in Michigan, even though its headquarters is in Tucson, Arizona. Overall, 97.5% of recipient organizations in the grant distribution are in the United States and 2.5% are in Canada, showing a primarily U.S.-focused national pattern with some cross-border awards.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| $781K |
2.5% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Who can apply: Fellows are postdoctoral scholars with Ph.D.s in chemistry, physics, astronomy, or allied fields. Host institution applications must be submitted by a Cottrell Scholar, Holland Awardee, or Scialog Fellow/Facilitator from the physical sciences. Host institutions must provide a full-day interview and structured feedback for the Fellow.
Deadline: Process opens July 15, 2026; applications due October 28, 2026; selected host institutions notified by March 2027.
Who can apply: Host institution application may be submitted by a Cottrell Scholar, Holland Awardee, or Scialog Fellow or Facilitator from the physical sciences.
Deadline: Process opens in July 2026; applications due in October 2026.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $193,142 | 2025 | Developing Mathematical Models for the Formation of New Collaborations at Conferences |
| California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, CA | $120,000 | 2025 | Colloidal Stabilization of Covalent Organic Frameworks with Acid-Base Chemistry and STEM Educator Training |
| Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH | $120,000 | 2025 | Measuring Cosmic Birefringence in the Presence of Galactic Foregrounds and Improving Career Preparation Through Advanced Physics Labs |
| Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | $120,000 | 2025 | Searching for New Physics with Galactic Neutrinos |
| University of San Diego | San Diego, CA | $120,000 | 2025 | Cloud-based investigations of quantum hydrodynamics in ultracold atomic gases |
| Pennsylvania State University | University Park, PA | $120,000 | 2025 | Allostery and Architecture: Building and Validating Functional Models of Multidomain Receptors |
| Emory University | Atlanta, GA | $120,000 | 2025 | Machine Learning Aided Quantum Chemistry Discovery in the Solution Phase |
| University of South Florida | Tampa, FL | $120,000 | 2025 | Strain Manipulation of Charge and Spin Dynamics in 2D Magnets |
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $120,000 | 2025 | Unveiling Cosmic Treasures: Exploring the secrets of astromineralogy with X-ray imaging spectroscopy |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | $120,000 | 2025 | Probing the role of membranes in bacterial methane oxidation with multiscale simulations |
| Trinity University | San Antonio, TX | $120,000 | 2025 | Interface-Induced Changes to Electronic Structure and Reactivity of Environmentally-Relevant Polycyclic Aromatic Species |
| Dartmouth College | Hanover, NH | $120,000 | 2025 | Characterizing and modulating interactions of disordered proteins that drive biomolecular condensate formation and cytotoxic aggregation |
| Hamilton College | Clinton, NY | $120,000 | 2025 | Characterization of enzymes that build and degrade spore cortex peptidoglycan. |
| California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, CA | $120,000 | 2025 | Planetesimal interiors: Searching for evidence of core material |
| University of Toledo | Toledo, OH | $120,000 | 2025 | Doing Our Homework: Direct Tests of Black Hole Accretion Rate Prescriptions |
| University of Tennessee Knoxville | Knoxville, TN | $120,000 | 2025 | Next Generation Beams: Exploring the potential of muon acceleration |
| Queen's University | Kingston, ON | $120,000 | 2025 | Combining Quantum Chemistry Concepts and Machine Learning for Drug Discovery |
| University of California Riverside | Riverside, CA | $120,000 | 2025 | Skeletal Editing of Silicon Nanostructures & Student-Created Social Media Videos to Close the Achievement Gap |
| Hope College | Holland, MI | $120,000 | 2025 | Chemical-Mechanical Control Over Nanoparticle-Hydrogel Sliding Interfaces |
| University of Missouri | Columbia, MO | $120,000 | 2025 | A New Tool to Probe Condensed-Phase Chemistry: Rotational Spectroscopy of Buffer-Gas Cooled Molecules Desorbed from an Ice Surface |
| Science Philanthropy Alliance | San Francisco, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | 2024-2026 Science Philanthropy Alliance Membership Contribution |
| University of California Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $66,000 | 2025 | Structure Identification in Complex Chemical Mixtures using Boltzmann Spectroscopy |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | Hoboken, NJ | $66,000 | 2025 | Closed-loop Hypothesis Generation for Automated Chemical Synthesis |
| University of California Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | $66,000 | 2025 | Automated workflows to assess physical constraints in neural networks for molecular property prediction |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $66,000 | 2025 | Synergistic Photomechanical Depolymerization |
| Stanford University | Stanford, CA | $66,000 | 2025 | Automated workflows to assess physical constraints in neural networks for molecular property prediction |
| Rowan University | Glassboro, NJ | $66,000 | 2025 | Calibration-free quantitation of reaction yields in high-throughput reaction screening through absolute carbon quantification by LC-FID |
| University of Delaware | Newark, DE | $66,000 | 2025 | Calibration-free quantitation of reaction yields in high-throughput reaction screening through absolute carbon quantification by LC-FID |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT | $66,000 | 2025 | Reducing the Cost of Device Development with Closed-Loop Proxy Measurements and Supplemental Characterization |
| Marine Biological Laboratory | Woods Hole, MA | $66,000 | 2025 | Seaweed for Critical Element Extraction and Transformation (Sea-CrEET) |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | $66,000 | 2025 | Structure Identification in Complex Chemical Mixtures using Boltzmann Spectroscopy |
| North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC | $66,000 | 2025 | Reducing the Cost of Device Development with Closed-Loop Proxy Measurements and Supplemental Characterization |
| University of Rochester | Rochester, NY | $66,000 | 2025 | Getting on the Grid: Parallel Nano-Crystallography for Large-Scale Data Generation |
| Brandeis University | Waltham, MA | $66,000 | 2025 | Synergistic Photomechanical Depolymerization |
| Purdue University | West Lafayette, IN | $66,000 | 2025 | AI/ML-assisted Separation and Programmable Electrodeposition of Ni and Co |
| University of British Columbia | Vancouver, BC | $66,000 | 2025 | Closed-loop Hypothesis Generation for Automated Chemical Synthesis |
| Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA | $66,000 | 2025 | Synergistic Photomechanical Depolymerization |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $66,000 | 2025 | Automated workflows to assess physical constraints in neural networks for molecular property prediction |
| Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ | $66,000 | 2025 | Seaweed for Critical Element Extraction and Transformation (Sea-CrEET) |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | $66,000 | 2025 | A Data-Driven Approach for Derisking Chemical Synthesis |
| University of California Davis | Davis, CA | $66,000 | 2025 | Water-Free Silicate Activation for Valuable Metal Extraction |
| University of Missouri | Columbia, MO | $66,000 | 2025 | Engineering Plants and Algae as Dye-Free Alternatives to Fossil-Based Textiles |
| Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO | $66,000 | 2025 | AI/ML-assisted Separation and Programmable Electrodeposition of Ni and Co |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | $66,000 | 2025 | Structure Identification in Complex Chemical Mixtures using Boltzmann Spectroscopy |
| Columbia University | New York, NY | $66,000 | 2025 | Water-Free Silicate Activation for Valuable Metal Extraction |
| Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ | $66,000 | 2025 | Electrocatalyst Formation From Extracted Critical Trace Elements in Copper Ores (EFFECT ECO) |
| University of Rochester | Rochester, NY | $66,000 | 2025 | Electrocatalyst Formation From Extracted Critical Trace Elements in Copper Ores (EFFECT ECO) |
| Rice University | Houston, TX | $66,000 | 2025 | Seaweed for Critical Element Extraction and Transformation (Sea-CrEET) |
| University of California Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $66,000 | 2025 | Water-Free Silicate Activation for Valuable Metal Extraction |
| Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO | $66,000 | 2025 | Getting on the Grid: Parallel Nano-Crystallography for Large-Scale Data Generation |
Northwestern University
$193,142Developing Mathematical Models for the Formation of New Collaborations at Conferences
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
$120,000Colloidal Stabilization of Covalent Organic Frameworks with Acid-Base Chemistry and STEM Educator Training
Case Western Reserve University
$120,000Measuring Cosmic Birefringence in the Presence of Galactic Foregrounds and Improving Career Preparation Through Advanced Physics Labs
Harvard University
$120,000Searching for New Physics with Galactic Neutrinos
University of San Diego
$120,000Cloud-based investigations of quantum hydrodynamics in ultracold atomic gases
Pennsylvania State University
Allostery and Architecture: Building and Validating Functional Models of Multidomain Receptors
Emory University
$120,000Machine Learning Aided Quantum Chemistry Discovery in the Solution Phase
University of South Florida
$120,000Strain Manipulation of Charge and Spin Dynamics in 2D Magnets
University of Michigan
$120,000Unveiling Cosmic Treasures: Exploring the secrets of astromineralogy with X-ray imaging spectroscopy
University of Utah
$120,000Probing the role of membranes in bacterial methane oxidation with multiscale simulations
Trinity University
$120,000Interface-Induced Changes to Electronic Structure and Reactivity of Environmentally-Relevant Polycyclic Aromatic Species
Dartmouth College
$120,000Characterizing and modulating interactions of disordered proteins that drive biomolecular condensate formation and cytotoxic aggregation
Hamilton College
$120,000Characterization of enzymes that build and degrade spore cortex peptidoglycan.
California Institute of Technology
$120,000Planetesimal interiors: Searching for evidence of core material
University of Toledo
$120,000Doing Our Homework: Direct Tests of Black Hole Accretion Rate Prescriptions
University of Tennessee Knoxville
$120,000Next Generation Beams: Exploring the potential of muon acceleration
Queen's University
$120,000Combining Quantum Chemistry Concepts and Machine Learning for Drug Discovery
University of California Riverside
$120,000Skeletal Editing of Silicon Nanostructures & Student-Created Social Media Videos to Close the Achievement Gap
Hope College
$120,000Chemical-Mechanical Control Over Nanoparticle-Hydrogel Sliding Interfaces
University of Missouri
$120,000A New Tool to Probe Condensed-Phase Chemistry: Rotational Spectroscopy of Buffer-Gas Cooled Molecules Desorbed from an Ice Surface
Science Philanthropy Alliance
$100,0002024-2026 Science Philanthropy Alliance Membership Contribution
University of California Los Angeles
$66,000Structure Identification in Complex Chemical Mixtures using Boltzmann Spectroscopy
Stevens Institute of Technology
$66,000Closed-loop Hypothesis Generation for Automated Chemical Synthesis
University of California Berkeley
$66,000Automated workflows to assess physical constraints in neural networks for molecular property prediction
Northwestern University
$66,000Synergistic Photomechanical Depolymerization
Stanford University
$66,000Automated workflows to assess physical constraints in neural networks for molecular property prediction
Rowan University
$66,000Calibration-free quantitation of reaction yields in high-throughput reaction screening through absolute carbon quantification by LC-FID
University of Delaware
$66,000Calibration-free quantitation of reaction yields in high-throughput reaction screening through absolute carbon quantification by LC-FID
University of Utah
$66,000Reducing the Cost of Device Development with Closed-Loop Proxy Measurements and Supplemental Characterization
Marine Biological Laboratory
$66,000Seaweed for Critical Element Extraction and Transformation (Sea-CrEET)
Northwestern University
$66,000Structure Identification in Complex Chemical Mixtures using Boltzmann Spectroscopy
North Carolina State University
$66,000Reducing the Cost of Device Development with Closed-Loop Proxy Measurements and Supplemental Characterization
University of Rochester
$66,000Getting on the Grid: Parallel Nano-Crystallography for Large-Scale Data Generation
Brandeis University
$66,000Synergistic Photomechanical Depolymerization
Purdue University
$66,000AI/ML-assisted Separation and Programmable Electrodeposition of Ni and Co
University of British Columbia
$66,000Closed-loop Hypothesis Generation for Automated Chemical Synthesis
Boston College
$66,000Synergistic Photomechanical Depolymerization
University of Pennsylvania
$66,000Automated workflows to assess physical constraints in neural networks for molecular property prediction
Arizona State University
$66,000Seaweed for Critical Element Extraction and Transformation (Sea-CrEET)
Carnegie Mellon University
$66,000A Data-Driven Approach for Derisking Chemical Synthesis
University of California Davis
$66,000Water-Free Silicate Activation for Valuable Metal Extraction
University of Missouri
$66,000Engineering Plants and Algae as Dye-Free Alternatives to Fossil-Based Textiles
Colorado School of Mines
$66,000AI/ML-assisted Separation and Programmable Electrodeposition of Ni and Co
Carnegie Mellon University
$66,000Structure Identification in Complex Chemical Mixtures using Boltzmann Spectroscopy
Columbia University
$66,000Water-Free Silicate Activation for Valuable Metal Extraction
Arizona State University
$66,000Electrocatalyst Formation From Extracted Critical Trace Elements in Copper Ores (EFFECT ECO)
University of Rochester
$66,000Electrocatalyst Formation From Extracted Critical Trace Elements in Copper Ores (EFFECT ECO)
Rice University
$66,000Seaweed for Critical Element Extraction and Transformation (Sea-CrEET)
University of California Los Angeles
$66,000Water-Free Silicate Activation for Valuable Metal Extraction
Colorado School of Mines
$66,000Getting on the Grid: Parallel Nano-Crystallography for Large-Scale Data Generation