Open nowCloses Dec 1, 2026Award: Up to $10K
Steven F. Warren Research Achievement Award
research achievement
Who can apply: Outstanding unclassified academic staff researchers.
Deadline: Nominations due by 11:59 p.m. Dec. 1 each year.
About University of Kansas Center for Research
This funder concentrates support on the University of Kansas and its affiliated entities, prioritizing campus operations, faculty support, and technology commercialization that translates university research into economic activity. Grants are largely mission-aligned to strengthen KU’s research capacity, entrepreneurship infrastructure, and regional bioscience development, with occasional smaller gifts to campus-related public media. The foundation’s giving is highly local and institutionally focused, privileging KU-centered projects and partners.
Focus Areas
Core university support and campus operations at the University of KansasFaculty development and faculty support programs administered via KU EndowmentTechnology commercialization and startup incubation tied to KU research (KU Center for Technology Commercialization)Bioscience entrepreneurship and regional life-science business support (Bioscience & Technology Business Center)Campus-affiliated public media and communications (Kansas Public Radio)
Who They Fund
universities and collegesfaculty and academic staff
About University of Kansas Center for Research
University of Kansas Center for Research Inc backs the University of Kansas research ecosystem at institutional scale, with repeated seven-figure awards going to campus operations, faculty support, and technology commercialization. Recent grants show a clear pattern of funding KU-centered entities rather than outside organizations, including major support for KU Center for Technology Commercialization Inc, KU Endowment, and the University of Kansas itself. The foundation also supports bioscience entrepreneurship infrastructure through the Bioscience & Technology Business Center, linking university research to startup and commercialization activity. Its portfolio is tightly aligned with the university’s research mission, with grants that strengthen internal capacity, proposal development, and academic support systems. Smaller awards extend that same pattern to campus-affiliated public media, showing that the funder’s priorities reach beyond labs and classrooms to other parts of the university environment. The overall picture is of a foundation using grantmaking to reinforce KU’s research, faculty, and institutional infrastructure from within the university community.
What University of Kansas Center for Research Funds
The foundation’s giving centers on university operations and research support. In 2024, it awarded $825,212 to the University of Kansas for university support, and in 2023 it gave $1,187,350 to KU Endowment for faculty support. Those grants point to a consistent emphasis on campus capacity and academic staffing. Another strand is technology transfer and entrepreneurship: KU Center for Technology Commercialization Inc received $1,187,375 for operations support, showing direct backing for commercialization activity tied to university research. Bioscience entrepreneurship also appears in a $400,000 grant to Bioscience & Technology Business Center for support, connecting the funder to life-science business development within the KU network. Smaller operational support for Kansas Public Radio broadens the picture to campus-affiliated communications.
How University of Kansas Center for Research Gives
Typical awards are large: the p25 grant size is $240,660, the median is $825,212, and the p75 is $1,141,494. The recent record also shows repeated support to the same institutional partners across 2023 and 2024, especially KU Endowment and the University of Kansas, indicating ongoing relationship-based funding rather than isolated gifts. The funder is not a donor-advised fund and does not fund individuals. Several active internal programs accept unsolicited requests, including Proposal Preparation Fund, KU Racial Equity Research, Scholarship + Creative Activity Grants, and Proposal Evaluation + External Review (PEER).
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.3M
Total Assets
$194.1M
Total Revenue
$220.6M
Total Expenses
$212.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $241K and $1.1M, with a median of $825K.
25th Percentile
$241K
Median
$825K
75th Percentile
$1.1M
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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