About John Martin Foundation
The John Martin Foundation concentrates on translational global health and biomedical research with an emphasis on improving access to treatments in low- and middle-income settings. Its major gifts fund drug development and disease-specific research (notably malaria, liver disease, and antimicrobials), health systems interventions that expand maternal and child care access, and policy work to accelerate access to medicines. Grants are large and programmatic, often targeted to applied research centers, implementation pilots, and licensing/policy initiatives that can enable broader uptake of medical innovations.
Focus Areas
Translational malaria drug development (single-dose cures and chemoprophylaxis)Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and liver research centersFintech-enabled maternal and child healthcare delivery in Africa (m-TIBA care bundles)Access to antimicrobials in low-resource settings via novel distribution/subscription modelsPolicy and voluntary licensing to accelerate access to essential medicines
Who They Fund
people living with hepatitis B and hepatitis Cmothers and newborns at risk of hepatitis B mother-to-child transmission
About John Martin Foundation
The John Martin Foundation’s recent giving is defined by large, programmatic investments in translational global health and biomedical research. One of its biggest commitments supports a $2.5 million center in West Bengal for liver research and innovations, showing how the foundation backs applied science alongside clinical capacity. Another major line of work funds malaria drug development, including a $2 million grant to The Scripps Research Institute for a single-dose cure and 28-day chemoprophylaxis to eradicate malaria. The foundation also supports access-to-medicine efforts, from antimicrobial subscription models to voluntary licensing and policy work aimed at lowering barriers to essential treatments. Across the portfolio, the John Martin Foundation combines research, implementation, and systems change. Its grants reach universities, hospitals, research foundations, and global health intermediaries, often for projects designed to move evidence into practice. In liver disease, the foundation has backed both center-building and disease-specific research, including NAFLD and hepatitis-related work. In infectious disease, it supports hepatitis B treatment scale-up, surveillance, and elimination networks, while also funding community-oriented programs in maternal and child health and underserved settings. The pattern is not small exploratory support; it is grantmaking at a scale that can underwrite centers, registries, pilot models, and field implementation.
What John Martin Foundation Funds
Liver disease is a consistent theme. The foundation gave $1.5 million to The Regents of the University of California San Diego for the UC San Diego Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) Research Center, and $2.5 million to Liver Foundation West Bengal for the John C. Martin Centre for Liver Research and Innovations. It also funded hepatitis-related infrastructure and analysis, including work on hepatitis B transmission and treatment. In malaria, the foundation supported drug development directly through a $2 million grant to The Scripps Research Institute for MCMQ069 as a single-dose cure and 28-day chemoprophylaxis to eradicate malaria. Access to medicines is another clear thread: President and Fellows of Harvard College received $898,691 for work on voluntary licensing and a path to accelerate access to medicines, while Health Innovation and Investment Exchange received $65,000 for identifying opportunities and challenges in voluntary licensing in Southeast Asia. The portfolio also includes health system and community delivery projects, such as financing and mobile technology in Kenya and maternal and child healthcare through m-TIBA care bundles.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$10M
Total Assets
$29.7M
Total Revenue
$2.1M
Total Expenses
$11M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $100K and $1M, with a median of $300K.
25th Percentile
$100K
Median
$300K
75th Percentile
$1M
Geographic Reach
National7 states funded
About 28% of grants go to recipients in GA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where John Martin Foundation Funds
Top 8 recipient countries by grant volume for John Martin Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 49 | $48M | 36.8% |
| 2 | Netherlands |
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