The Ono Pharma Foundation concentrates its giving on high‑impact biomedical and chemical biology research through a named competitive awards program (the "Ono Pharma Breakthrough Science Initiative"). Grants are directed to leading research universities and institutes to support individual investigators and labs pursuing cutting‑edge discovery science, with several repeat awards to prominent PIs and institutions. The foundation favors translational/basic science at top U.S. research centers rather than community nonprofits or service provision.
The Ono Pharma Foundation uses its named Ono Pharma Breakthrough Science Initiative Awards Program to back high-risk, high-reward chemical biology research at research universities and institutes. Recent awards include repeated support for Stanford University investigators, such as Dr Elizabeth Sattely and Dr Bianxiao Cui, as well as multiple awards to The Scripps Research Institute and the Broad Institute of Harvard & MIT. The program is built around individual principal investigators and lab-based projects, not general operating support or community services. Award sizes in the recent record are anchored at $172,500 and $345,000, with three-year projects described in the active program summary as intended to generate discoveries that could lead to breakthrough treatments. The foundation’s recent pattern shows several investigators and institutions receiving awards more than once, suggesting continuity with selected research teams over time. Its grantmaking is national and concentrated in major U.S. biomedical research centers rather than in the foundation’s New York headquarters. The recent grants also point to a consistent emphasis on early- to mid-career scientific work at leading universities. Grants have gone to Harvard, Northwestern, the University of California system, the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan, and Boston College, all through the same competitive awards structure.
Chemical biology is the clearest throughline in the foundation’s giving. The active Ono Initiative supports projects in drug delivery and localization, biomolecular condensates and protein quality control, chemical glycobiology, and interactome or cell/tissue crosstalk. Individual awards show how that focus is applied. Stanford University received $345,000 for Dr Elizabeth Sattely and $172,500 for Dr Polly Fordyce under the program. Harvard University also appears in the recent record, with $345,000 for Dr Jerad Mason and $172,500 for Dr B Liau. The foundation also funds discovery science at institutes known for biomedical research. The Scripps Research Institute received $345,000 for Michael a Erb and $172,500 for Dr Mia Huang, while the Broad Institute of Harvard & MIT received $345,000 for Dr Xiao Wang.
Recent awards cluster at two amounts: $172,500 and $345,000, with the program summary setting a broader range of $300,000 to $1,035,000 for the initiative. The grant list shows repeat awards to the same investigators and institutions across multiple years, including Stanford, Scripps, Harvard, Boston College, Northwestern, and the Broad Institute. That points to a program that revisits prior awardees rather than one-time-only support. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF or individual-grantmaker, and it does not make program-related investments. Its competitive awards program does not accept unsolicited applications.
$10.7M
$14.8M
$9.5M
$3.5M
Most grants fall between $173K and $345K, with a median of $173K.
25th Percentile
$173K
Median
$173K
75th Percentile
$345K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in MA.
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Concentrated, program-focused giving: relatively few, large awards channeled through a named initiative; multiple repeat grants to the same investigators and elite research institutions rather than many small or geographically dispersed gifts.
Notable grantees: Salk Institute for Biological Studies (Dr. Alan Saghatelian), Broad Institute of Harvard & MIT (Dr. Xiao Wang), Stanford University (multiple investigators: Dr. Bianxiao Cui, Dr. Elizabeth Sattely, Jonathan Z. Long), The Scripps Research Institute (Mia Huang; Michael A. Erb), Harvard University (Dr. Jerad Mason)
The foundation gives nationally, and every grant in the provided record went to U.S. recipients. Massachusetts is the top state by grant count, with awards in Cambridge and Chestnut Hill. Other frequent recipient hubs include Stanford and Redwood City in California, La Jolla in California, and Evanston in Illinois. Additional grants reached Chicago, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, San Francisco, and Irvine.
It funds high-risk, high-reward chemical biology and biomedical discovery through the Ono Pharma Breakthrough Science Initiative Awards Program. The active program focuses on drug delivery and localization, biomolecular condensates and protein quality control, chemical glycobiology, and interactome or cell/tissue crosstalk.
It uses a competitive awards program for principal investigators at nominated institutions. The active program supports three-year research projects, and unsolicited applications are not accepted.
The recent grant record centers on $172,500 and $345,000 awards. The active program summary also gives a broader grant-size range of $300,000 to $1,035,000.
Yes. The recent grants list includes repeat awards to several investigators and institutions, including Stanford University, The Scripps Research Institute, Harvard University, Boston College, Northwestern University, and the Broad Institute of Harvard & MIT across multiple years.
Massachusetts is the top state by grant count in the provided data. Recent recipient cities there include Cambridge and Chestnut Hill, while other repeated hubs include Stanford, Redwood City, La Jolla, and Evanston.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANDR AMANDA GARNER | ANN ARBOR, MI | $345,000 | 2025 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTEDR MIA HUANG | LA JOLLA, CA | $345,000 | 2025 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELESDR KERIANN BACKUS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $345,000 | 2025 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR BIANXIAO CUI | STANFORD, CA | $345,000 | 2025 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| HARVARD UNIVERSITY DR JARAD MASON | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $345,000 | 2025 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY DR XIAOYU ZHANG | EVANSTON, IL | $345,000 | 2025 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR ELIZABETH SATTELY | REDWOOD CITY, CA | $172,500 | 2025 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR STEVEN BANIK | STANFORD, CA | $172,500 | 2025 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES DR ALAN SAGHATELIAN | LA JOLLA, CA | $172,500 | 2025 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - DR AMY WEEKS | MADISON, WI | $172,500 | 2025 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| BROAD INSTITUTE OF HARVARD & MIT DR XIAO WANG | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $172,500 | 2025 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| MITDR MATTHEW SHOULDERS | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $172,500 | 2025 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR ELIZABETH SATTELY | REDWOOD CITY, CA | $345,000 | 2024 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR BIANXIAO CUI | STANFORD, CA | $345,000 | 2024 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| MORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY DR XIAOYU ZHANG | EVANSTON, IL | $345,000 | 2024 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES DR ALAN SAGHATELIAN | LA JOLLA, CA | $345,000 | 2024 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| HARVARD UNIVERSITY DR JERAD MASON | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $345,000 | 2024 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| BROAD INSTITUTE OF HARVARD & MIT DR XIAO WANG | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $345,000 | 2024 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY JONATHAN Z LONG | STANFORD, CA | $172,500 | 2024 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE MICHAEL A ERB | LA JOLLA, CA | $172,500 | 2024 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTEDR MIA HUANG | LA JOLLA, CA | $172,500 | 2024 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANDR AMANDA GARNER | ANN ARBOR, MI | $172,500 | 2024 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO YAMUNA KRISHNAN | CHICAGO, IL | $172,500 | 2024 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO JASON K SELLO | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $172,500 | 2024 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELESDR KERIANN BACKUS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $172,500 | 2024 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| BOSTON COLLEGE ERANTHIE WEERAPANA | CHESTNUT HILL, MA | $172,500 | 2024 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| BOSTON COLLEGE ERANTHIE WEERAPANA | CHESTNUT HILL, MA | $345,000 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| BROAD INSTITUTE OF HARVARD & MIT DR XIAO WANG | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $345,000 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR ELIZABETH SATTELY | REDWOOD CITY, CA | $345,000 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY JONATHAN Z LONG | STANFORD, CA | $345,000 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO JASON K SELLO | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $345,000 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE MICHAEL A ERB | LA JOLLA, CA | $345,000 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO YAMUNA KRISHNAN | CHICAGO, IL | $345,000 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES DR ALAN SAGHATELIAN | LA JOLLA, CA | $345,000 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| BROAD INSTITUTE OF HARVARD & MIT DRS ERIC MINIKEL & SONIA VALLABH | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $172,500 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| HARVARD UNIVERSITY DR JERAD MASON | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $172,500 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR BIANXIAO CUI | STANFORD, CA | $172,500 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DR A EDINGER | IRVINE, CA | $172,500 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| HARVARD UNIVERSITY DR B LIAU | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $172,500 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| MORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY DR XIAOYU ZHANG | EVANSTON, IL | $172,500 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR POLLY FORDYCE | STANFORD, CA | $172,500 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DR R SPITALE | IRVINE, CA | $172,500 | 2023 | THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM |
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANDR AMANDA GARNER
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTEDR MIA HUANG
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELESDR KERIANN BACKUS
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR BIANXIAO CUI
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY DR JARAD MASON
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY DR XIAOYU ZHANG
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR ELIZABETH SATTELY
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR STEVEN BANIK
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES DR ALAN SAGHATELIAN
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - DR AMY WEEKS
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
BROAD INSTITUTE OF HARVARD & MIT DR XIAO WANG
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
MITDR MATTHEW SHOULDERS
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR ELIZABETH SATTELY
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR BIANXIAO CUI
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
MORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY DR XIAOYU ZHANG
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES DR ALAN SAGHATELIAN
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY DR JERAD MASON
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
BROAD INSTITUTE OF HARVARD & MIT DR XIAO WANG
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
STANFORD UNIVERSITY JONATHAN Z LONG
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE MICHAEL A ERB
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTEDR MIA HUANG
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANDR AMANDA GARNER
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO YAMUNA KRISHNAN
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO JASON K SELLO
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELESDR KERIANN BACKUS
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
BOSTON COLLEGE ERANTHIE WEERAPANA
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
BOSTON COLLEGE ERANTHIE WEERAPANA
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
BROAD INSTITUTE OF HARVARD & MIT DR XIAO WANG
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR ELIZABETH SATTELY
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
STANFORD UNIVERSITY JONATHAN Z LONG
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO JASON K SELLO
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE MICHAEL A ERB
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO YAMUNA KRISHNAN
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES DR ALAN SAGHATELIAN
$345,000THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
BROAD INSTITUTE OF HARVARD & MIT DRS ERIC MINIKEL & SONIA VALLABH
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY DR JERAD MASON
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR BIANXIAO CUI
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DR A EDINGER
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY DR B LIAU
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
MORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY DR XIAOYU ZHANG
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
STANFORD UNIVERSITY DR POLLY FORDYCE
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DR R SPITALE
$172,500THE ONO PHARMA BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE INTITIATIVE AWARDS PROGRAM