Advancing health without compromise through service, scholarship, science and social responsibility.
University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation Inc’s largest recent grants are two consecutive eight-figure awards to the UW School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison for support functions of the medical school: $45,345,869 in 2024 and $45,063,805 in 2023. That pattern points to an institution that funds health-care education and the operating capacity behind it, not only discrete projects. The foundation also backs the University of Wisconsin Foundation for research support, with another pair of large awards of $10,892,330 in 2024 and $10,032,472 in 2023. Beyond those institutional commitments, the grant list includes smaller awards to hospitals, community organizations, and professional associations, suggesting a mix of academic, clinical, and community-oriented giving. The active program descriptions reinforce that mix: UW Health’s innovation hub supports health-care startups and companies developing treatments, devices, software, and other solutions, while community giving targets organizations addressing barriers to healthy lives, health equity, and access to care. The stated mission is advancing health through service, scholarship, science, and social responsibility.
Academic infrastructure is a clear emphasis. The foundation gave $45,345,869 to the UW School of Medicine and Public Health for support functions of the medical school, alongside $10,892,330 to the University of Wisconsin Foundation for research support. Smaller awards also fit that pattern, including $33,000 and $32,000 to Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation for support functions of the organization. Community health and access are another thread. UW Health’s community giving program supports organizations working on social determinants of health, health equity, and barriers to healthy lives; recent awards include $40,700 to YWCA Madison and $10,000 to National Alliance on Mental Illness Dane County. Clinical and patient-facing support also appears through $22,100 to American Family Children’s Hospital and $6,000 to American Lung Association in Wisconsin. Innovation is represented in the Isthmus Project, which backs health-care startups and portfolio companies.
Typical awards are modest relative to the foundation’s overall scale, with a p25 of $7,000, a median grant of $9,000, and a p75 of $33,000. The recent record also shows a strong recurring pattern: some recipients appear in consecutive years, including Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, Healthy Classrooms Foundation Inc, and the two major University of Wisconsin institutional recipients. This is a programmatic funder tied to UW Health, with both community giving and an innovation-investing arm, and it also makes program-related investments. Unsolicited applications are not part of the described programs.
$56.4M
$747.4M
$1.2B
$1.3B
Most grants fall between $7K and $33K, with a median of $9K.
25th Percentile
$7K
Median
$9K
75th Percentile
$33K
About 76% of grants go to recipients in TX.
Alan Kaplan MD
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Grantmaking is regional and concentrated in Wisconsin, which accounts for 76% of grants to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. Madison appears repeatedly across the recent grants list, including the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, YWCA Madison, National Alliance on Mental Illness Dane County, and One City Schools. Outside Wisconsin, the foundation gives in Texas most often by count, and recent grants also reached Illinois, New Jersey, and Maryland. All recent grants listed were made to U.S. recipients.
The foundation supports medical schools, university research departments, academic faculty and researchers, institutional administrative units, hospitals, and community organizations. Recent grants also show support for health equity, access to care, community health, and health-care innovation through UW Health’s innovation hub.
The grant-size distribution centers on relatively small awards: p25 is $7,000, the median is $9,000, and p75 is $33,000. The recent grant list also includes very large institutional awards, but most individual grants are much smaller than those top outliers.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, Healthy Classrooms Foundation Inc, the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and the University of Wisconsin Foundation. That suggests repeated support for certain institutions and operating functions.
Named focus areas include healthcare delivery, clinical research, medical education, community benefit and population health, health equity, sustainability, and health innovation. The active programs also point to community giving and an innovation-investing track tied to UW Health.
The scope is regional. Wisconsin receives 76% of grants by recipient state, and Madison shows up often in the recent grant list. The top state by grant count is Texas, and recent recipients also appear in Illinois, New Jersey, and Maryland.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UW School of Medicine and Public Health | Madison, WI | $45,345,869 | 2024 | Support Functions of the Medical School |
| University of Wisconsin Foundation | Madison, WI | $10,892,330 | 2024 | Research Support |
| YWCA Madison | Madison, WI | $40,700 | 2024 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation | Rosemont, IL | $32,000 | 2024 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| American Family Children's Hospital | Madison, WI | $22,100 | 2024 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| National Alliance on Mental Illness Dane County | Madison, WI | $10,000 | 2024 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| Healthy Classrooms Foundation Inc | Madison, WI | $8,000 | 2024 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| American Pediatric Society | The Woodlands, TX | $7,500 | 2024 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| Meadowood Neighborhood Association | Madison, WI | $6,000 | 2024 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| One City Schools | Madison, WI | $6,000 | 2024 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology | Rockville, MD | $5,750 | 2024 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| UW School of Medicine and Public Health | Madison, WI | $45,063,805 | 2023 | Support Functions of the Medical School |
| University of Wisconsin Foundation | Madison, WI | $10,032,472 | 2023 | Research Support |
| Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation | Rosemont, IL | $33,000 | 2023 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| The Salvation Army | Wauwatosa, WI | $10,040 | 2023 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| Focused Interruption Coaltion LLC | Madison, WI | $9,000 | 2023 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| Healthy Classrooms Foundation Inc | Madison, WI | $8,000 | 2023 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| YMCA Madison | Madison, WI | $7,650 | 2023 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| The Arnold P Gold Foundation | Englewood Clifs, NJ | $7,000 | 2023 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| American Lung Association in Wisconsin | Brookfield, WI | $6,000 | 2023 | Support Functions of the Organization |
| Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health | Madison, WI | $5,500 | 2023 | Support Functions of the Organization |
UW School of Medicine and Public Health
$45,345,869Support Functions of the Medical School
University of Wisconsin Foundation
$10,892,330Research Support
YWCA Madison
$40,700Support Functions of the Organization
Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation
$32,000Support Functions of the Organization
American Family Children's Hospital
$22,100Support Functions of the Organization
National Alliance on Mental Illness Dane County
$10,000Support Functions of the Organization
Healthy Classrooms Foundation Inc
$8,000Support Functions of the Organization
American Pediatric Society
$7,500Support Functions of the Organization
Meadowood Neighborhood Association
$6,000Support Functions of the Organization
One City Schools
$6,000Support Functions of the Organization
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
$5,750Support Functions of the Organization
UW School of Medicine and Public Health
$45,063,805Support Functions of the Medical School
University of Wisconsin Foundation
$10,032,472Research Support
Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation
$33,000Support Functions of the Organization
The Salvation Army
$10,040Support Functions of the Organization
Focused Interruption Coaltion LLC
$9,000Support Functions of the Organization
Healthy Classrooms Foundation Inc
$8,000Support Functions of the Organization
YMCA Madison
$7,650Support Functions of the Organization
The Arnold P Gold Foundation
$7,000Support Functions of the Organization
American Lung Association in Wisconsin
$6,000Support Functions of the Organization
Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health
$5,500Support Functions of the Organization