The LB Research and Education Foundation concentrates its giving on supporting medical student scholarships at large public research universities, directing multi-hundred-thousand-dollar gifts to university foundations. Although based in Asheville, NC, its giving is focused geographically on major Ohio institutions and aims to strengthen the physician pipeline by easing medical school costs. The foundation operates with a narrow, programmatic focus rather than broad philanthropic diversification.
Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a very small set of repeat grantees (six grants in total, with multiple awards to each of two university foundations); focused, program-specific funding rather than many small or geographically dispersed gifts.
The Lb Research and Education Foundation C/o Peter Marks has made medical student scholarships the clearest throughline in its recent giving, with repeated seven-figure-style commitments to university foundations supporting physician training. Three consecutive grants of $420,000 to the University of Cincinnati Foundation and three grants of $300,000 to the Ohio State University Foundation show a sustained, multi-year pattern rather than one-off awards. Those scholarships sit alongside a narrower set of general support grants to nonprofit organizations working in education and health, including Harmony Project of Los Angeles. The foundation’s recent record suggests a programmatic approach centered on higher-education access and the medical workforce pipeline, while still allowing some flexibility for broader public-benefit organizations. Although its headquarters are in Asheville, the grants in the file point elsewhere: the most frequent recipient state is Washington, while the largest awards cluster in Ohio. The foundation also appears to work through institutional intermediaries such as university foundations, which can support scholarship funds over multiple years and align giving with professional training goals. Its annual giving and asset base indicate a sizable private foundation with concentrated priorities.
Medical student scholarships are the foundation’s defining focus. It gave $420,000 in 2025 to the University of Cincinnati Foundation for medical student scholarships and $300,000 in 2025 to the Ohio State University Foundation for the same purpose. Those repeated awards indicate support for medical education at public research universities rather than short-term project funding. Beyond scholarship aid, the foundation has also backed general support for community organizations such as Youth Mentoring Connection in Los Angeles, which received $75,000 in 2024 and $50,000 in 2025. Its general support grants also reached groups focused on health or social services, including Oasis - a Haven for Women and Children in Paterson, NJ, and Her Resiliency Network in Washington, DC. The mix suggests a narrow core interest in physician pipeline support with selective additional grants in education and health-related service delivery.
$1.5M
$32M
$1.3M
$1.9M
Most grants fall between $20K and $50K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$50K
About 1% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Notable grantees: University of Cincinnati Foundation, Ohio State University Foundation, University medical schools / scholarship programs (representative of its programmatic focus)
Typical grants cluster around a moderate-to-large private-foundation range, with a p25 of $20,000, median of $30,000, and p75 of $50,000. The file also shows several much larger scholarship awards, up to $420,000. Recipients appear across multiple years, especially the University of Cincinnati Foundation and Ohio State University Foundation, which both received repeated grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That pattern points to recurring support rather than isolated awards. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Its active general grant program accepts unsolicited applications and supports U.S.-based nonprofits.
Giving is national, with all recorded grants going to U.S. recipients. Ohio stands out in the grant file, especially Cincinnati and Columbus, where the largest scholarship awards landed. Washington state is the top state by grant count, even though none of the grants listed go to North Carolina. Other recipient cities include Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Reading, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, showing a spread across major urban centers and a mix of higher-education and community-based grantees.
Its clearest pattern is medical student scholarships, especially through university foundations. The recent grants list shows repeated support to the University of Cincinnati Foundation and Ohio State University Foundation for that purpose across 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The usual grant range is moderate, with a p25 of $20,000, a median of $30,000, and a p75 of $50,000. The recent file also includes larger scholarship grants of $300,000 and $420,000.
Yes. Its active General Grant Program accepts unsolicited applications and supports U.S.-based nonprofit organizations addressing education opportunity gaps or health disparities, including innovative programs, research, and general operating support.
All recorded grants in the file go to U.S. recipients. Ohio is a major focus in the recent grants, while Washington is the top state by grant count overall.
Alongside scholarship funding, the foundation has made general support grants to nonprofits such as Harmony Project of Los Angeles, Youth Mentoring Connection, Oasis - a Haven for Women and Children, and Her Resiliency Network.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI FOUNDATION | CINCINNATI, OH | $420,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS |
| OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | COLUMBUS, OH | $300,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS |
| HARMONY PROJECT OF LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CATALYST FOR CHANGE | BIG TIMBER, MT | $60,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BLALOCK FOUNDATION | SANTA MONICA, CA | $60,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| YOUTH MENTORING CONNECTION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE LIME FOUNDATION | SANTA ROSA, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| OASIS - A HAVEN FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN | PATERSON, NJ | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HER RESILIENCY NETWORK | WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UNCOMMON GOOD | CLAREMONT, CA | $35,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HACK THE HOOD | OAKLAND, CA | $35,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SAN MARCOS PROMISE | SAN MARCOS, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| EMPOWERED NETWORK | NEW LONDON, CT | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF WESTERN NC | ASHEVILLE, NC | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BAY AREA VIDEO COALITION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PLAZA COMUNITARIA SINALOA | MISSION HILLS, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LEADERSHIP ENTERPRISE FOR A DIVERSE AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DOCTORS OF THE WORLD | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CLOSE TIES LEADERSHIP | ATLANTA, GA | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NEVADA INSTITUTE OF FORENSIC NURSING | SPRING CREEK, NV | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE NICHOLAS CENTER | PORT WASHINGTON, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BAPTIST HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION | MONTGOMERY, AL | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF TENNESSEE AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI | MEMPHIS, TN | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SOUTHERN NEVADA BLACK EDUCATORS INITIATIVE | NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CLEVER COMMUNITIES | NORFOLK, VA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI FOUNDATION | CINCINNATI, OH | $420,000 | 2024 | MEDICAL STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS |
| OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | COLUMBUS, OH | $300,000 | 2024 | MEDICAL STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS |
| HARMONY PROJECT OF LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| YOUTH MENTORING CONNECTION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $75,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BLALOCK FOUNDATION | SANTA MONICA, CA | $60,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FACE FORWARD INC | BEVERLY HILLS, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHAINLESS CHANGE | SUNRISE, FL | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| OPPORTUNITY HOUSE | READING, PA | $40,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CUMMINGS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | BOSTON, MA | $35,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE LIME FOUNDATION | SANTA ROSA, CA | $35,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORTEDUCATION |
| CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $35,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SEEDS OF LITERACY | CLEVELAND, OH | $35,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AVALON CARVER COMMUNITY CENTER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $35,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| OPHELIA'S PLACE | EUGENE, OR | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HACK THE HOOD | OAKLAND, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CENTRAL OREGON VETERANS RANCH | BEND, OR | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| OASIS - A HAVEN FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN | PATERSON, NJ | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CLYDE MALONE COMMUNITY CENTER | LINCOLN, NE | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM | CHARLESTON, SC | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE AHA FOUNDATION | BETHESDA, MD | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AIRPORT MARINA COUNSELING SERVICE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COUNSELING CENTER - WATTS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE NICHOLAS CENTER | PORT WASHINGTON, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BAY AREA VIDEO COALITION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
$300,000MEDICAL STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
HARMONY PROJECT OF LOS ANGELES
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BLALOCK FOUNDATION
$60,000GENERAL SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT
THE LIME FOUNDATION
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
HER RESILIENCY NETWORK
$40,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
$40,000GENERAL SUPPORT
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF WESTERN NC
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PLAZA COMUNITARIA SINALOA
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
DOCTORS OF THE WORLD
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CLOSE TIES LEADERSHIP
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NEVADA INSTITUTE OF FORENSIC NURSING
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BAPTIST HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF TENNESSEE AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SOUTHERN NEVADA BLACK EDUCATORS INITIATIVE
$15,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CLEVER COMMUNITIES
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
$300,000MEDICAL STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
HARMONY PROJECT OF LOS ANGELES
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BLALOCK FOUNDATION
$60,000GENERAL SUPPORT
FACE FORWARD INC
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE LIME FOUNDATION
$35,000GENERAL SUPPORTEDUCATION
CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
$35,000GENERAL SUPPORT
AVALON CARVER COMMUNITY CENTER
$35,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CENTRAL OREGON VETERANS RANCH
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CLYDE MALONE COMMUNITY CENTER
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COUNSELING CENTER - WATTS
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT