Painless Research Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About Painless Research Foundation
The Painless Research Foundation concentrates its philanthropic support on biomedical research at leading academic medical centers, with an especially strong, recurring commitment to UCSF. Nearly all of its funding is directed to research grants rather than community programs, indicating a focus on advancing clinical or basic science investigations (likely related to pain given the foundation name). Grants are large relative to the foundation's small portfolio and target established research institutions.
Focus Areas
Pain-related biomedical research at major academic medical centersUniversity-affiliated clinical research at UCSFHospital-based research programs at top teaching hospitals (e.g., Mass General)
Who They Fund
researchersacademic institutionsresearch institutions or labs
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated: few, large research grants with repeat funding to a single primary grantee (UCSF); occasional support to other elite hospitals. Emphasis is on institutional research grants rather than many small or grassroots awards.
Funding Style
About Painless Research Foundation
Painless Research Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by repeated research support to UC Regents/UCSF, including a $100,000 research grant in 2025, an $87,000 grant in 2023, and an $83,500 grant in 2024. That pattern points to a funder that favors sustained, project-based support for academic medical research rather than one-off awards. The foundation’s active programs center on pain-related biomedical research, therapy development, and related education, with stated attention to cancer pain, neuropathic pain, post-operative pain, chronic pain, inflammatory disorders, and endocrine disorders. The foundation also supports hospital-based research beyond UCSF, as shown by a 2025 grant to Mass General Hospital for research. Grants are directed to established research institutions and labs, reflecting a focus on clinical or translational work in settings that can advance evidence generation and therapy development. Across the available grant record, the pattern is narrow and consistent: research support for institutions conducting pain-focused science.
What Painless Research Foundation Funds
Pain-related biomedical research is the core of the foundation’s grantmaking. One recent example is the 2025 $100,000 research grant to UC Regents/UCSF, which fits its stated focus on reducing pain and human suffering. The foundation’s program language also highlights cancer pain, neuropathic pain, post-operative pain, chronic pain, inflammatory disorders, and endocrine disorders. Translational therapy development is another specific lane. The foundation says it supports all stages of therapy development, including in vitro and in vivo testing, pharmacology, and toxicology. That emphasis aligns with the 2024 $83,500 research grant to UC Regents/UCSF. A third area is hospital-based research at major teaching hospitals. In 2025, it gave $25,993 to Mass General Hospital for research, showing that its support extends beyond a single institution while staying within academic medical research.
How Painless Research Foundation Gives
The recent grant amounts cluster tightly around the mid-$80,000 range: p25 is $84,375, median is $85,250, and p75 is $86,125. One larger award of $100,000 and one smaller award of $25,993 sit outside that band. The available record shows a repeated relationship with the same recipient over multiple years, which suggests ongoing project support rather than isolated awards. The foundation is not described as an operating funder or donor-advised fund; its giving appears to come from a small asset base of $2,276,697. It also funds individuals, but the recent grants shown here go to institutions.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$126K
Total Assets
$2.3M
Total Revenue
$451K
Total Expenses
$193K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $84K and $86K, with a median of $85K.
25th Percentile
$84K
Median
$85K
75th Percentile
$86K
Geographic Reach
Regional2 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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