About Commonwealth Transfusion Foundation
Commonwealth Transfusion Foundation’s grantmaking is built around transfusion medicine, blood services, and the laboratory workforce that supports both. A large share of its recent awards go to Virginia institutions, but its portfolio also reaches beyond state lines when the mission is tied to blood supply and transfusion capacity. The foundation’s recent grants show a consistent mix of equipment support, education, and infrastructure financing for hospitals, universities, and blood organizations.
Several awards point to that pattern. Blood Assurance received $473,000 for equipment in 2025 and $187,500 in 2024 for cellular therapy equipment, showing sustained support for blood-service infrastructure. Virginia Commonwealth University also received multiple awards, including $181,750 for MLS educational assistance in 2024 and $139,000 for scholarships in 2025, indicating repeated investment in medical laboratory science training. Other grants extend to health-system capital and specialty clinical needs, including support for hospital equipment and rehabilitation-related capital projects. Together, these grants show a funder that backs both the technical systems behind transfusion medicine and the people being trained to staff them.
What Commonwealth Transfusion Foundation Funds
Medical laboratory science education is a core theme. Virginia Commonwealth University received $181,750 for MLS educational assistance in 2024, and Radford University Foundation received $81,000 for scholarships in 2025. The foundation also made an MLS program grant of $50,000 to Radford University Carilion in 2025, tying education support to program capacity.
Equipment and clinical instrumentation are another clear focus. Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital received $81,092 in 2023 for ROTEM instruments, while Piedmont Virginia Community College Educational Foundation received $12,750 in 2025 for an equipment grant. Reynolds Community College Educational Foundation also received $47,000 in 2024 for blood bank lab equipment.
The foundation also supports blood-service and professional development work. Blood Assurance received $150,000 in 2025 for an SBB grant, and ASCLS - Virginia received $15,000 in 2025 for sponsorship of its annual meeting.
How Commonwealth Transfusion Foundation Gives
Typical grants are modest to mid-sized, with a p25 of $1,500, a median of $7,000, and a p75 of $38,125. The recent-grants list suggests a small number of larger awards alongside many education and equipment grants. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Blood Assurance, Virginia Commonwealth University, Radford University Foundation, Old Dominion University, and Aabb, which points to recurring relationships rather than one-off support.
Commonwealth Transfusion Foundation also funds individuals through scholarship programs. Its active programs include named scholarships, institutional scholarship grants, conference scholarships, and general Virginia transfusion and healthcare grants. Those programs are often one-year awards, though multi-year grants may be considered, and the foundation can allow indirect costs up to 15% in its Virginia grant program. Some scholarship programs accept unsolicited requests, while named individual scholarships do not.