Incorporated by an act of the Legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1869 for the establishment and oversight of Boston University; oversees the University through the Board of Trustees.
Trustees of Boston University’s recent grantmaking is dominated by research awards to biomedical and academic institutions, with the largest listed grant at $7,992,199 to Pattern Bioscience Inc in Austin. The pattern continues at scale through multi-million-dollar awards to Day Zero Diagnostics Inc in Boston and GlaxoSmithKline Holdings Americas Inc in Philadelphia, showing a portfolio centered on research support rather than small discretionary giving. Boston University also appears as both funder and host institution in the recent list, including repeated support for The General Hospital Corporation, the President & Fellows of Harvard College, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The institution’s grantmaking is not limited to external partners; it also includes BU-run programs such as the BU Scholarship Assurance initiative, First-Year Innovation Fellowship, and Project Action. Those programs point to a mix of research funding, student opportunity, and campus-based innovation support. Across the recent grants list, the foundation’s activity is substantial and varied, with awards that range from seed-level campus grants to large research commitments for universities, hospitals, and life sciences firms.
Research support is the clearest thread in the recent record. Trustees of Boston University awarded $5,480,365 to The General Hospital Corporation in Boston for research, and another $3,117,846 to the President & Fellows of Harvard College in Boston for research. The foundation also supported university research with $3,251,809 to Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge for research. Its portfolio extends into life sciences firms and clinical research organizations as well. The foundation gave $3,410,043 to Vaxcyte Inc in San Carlos for research, $3,051,366 to Avails Medical Inc in Menlo Park for research, and $2,497,408 to MicuRx Pharmaceuticals in Palo Alto for research. Boston University’s own student-facing and campus programs are part of the picture too. BU Scholarship Assurance provides an undergraduate scholarship for eight semesters, while Project Action offers $3,000 grants plus coaching to students whose proposals are intended to make a positive impact on their communities.
$109.8M
$9.3B
$3.5B
$3.4B
Most grants fall between $34K and $333K, with a median of $110K.
25th Percentile
$34K
Median
$110K
75th Percentile
$333K
MELISSA L GILLIAM
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Typical grant size is relatively wide, with a p25 of $33,994, a median of $110,000, and a p75 of $332,973. The recent list shows a clear split between very large research awards and much smaller campus or fellowship grants. Some recipients recur across years, including The General Hospital Corporation, Day Zero Diagnostics Inc, Pattern Bioscience Inc, Peptilogics Inc, Avails Medical Inc, Vaxcyte Inc, Lumen Bioscience Inc, and the Regents of the University of California Los Angeles. The foundation is a regular funder tied to Boston University rather than a DAF or operating foundation, and several programs accept unsolicited requests, including BU Scholarship Assurance, First-Year Innovation Fellowship, Project Action, Sustainability Innovation Seed Grant, and the MCH National Network Fellowship.
Grantmaking is national, and the recent recipient map reaches across the United States. Boston is the most visible city in the list, with grants to The General Hospital Corporation, Boston Medical Center Corporation, and the President & Fellows of Harvard College. Other repeated recipient locations include Los Angeles, San Carlos, Seattle, and Austin, with additional awards in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cambridge, and Menlo Park. All listed recipient grants are in the United States, and 23% go to recipients in Massachusetts, which is separate from the foundation’s Boston headquarters.
The foundation supports BU Scholarship Assurance for undergraduate financial aid, the First-Year Innovation Fellowship for first-year students, Project Action for community-impact grants, the Sustainability Innovation Seed Grant for campus sustainability work, and the MCH National Network Fellowship through the School of Public Health.
The recent grant-size distribution is broad: p25 is $33,994, the median is $110,000, and p75 is $332,973. The recent list also includes multi-million-dollar research awards, showing that the foundation gives at both campus-program and large research scales.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years in the recent grants list, including The General Hospital Corporation, Day Zero Diagnostics Inc, Pattern Bioscience Inc, Peptilogics Inc, Avails Medical Inc, Vaxcyte Inc, Lumen Bioscience Inc, and the Regents of the University of California Los Angeles.
The foundation gives nationally, with 829 grants in the United States. Massachusetts receives 23% of grants by recipient location, and Boston appears repeatedly in the recent list alongside Los Angeles, San Carlos, Seattle, and Austin.
Recent research awards include $7,992,199 to Pattern Bioscience Inc in Austin, $6,891,431 to Day Zero Diagnostics Inc in Boston, and $6,166,429 to GlaxoSmithKline Holdings Americas Inc in Philadelphia. The list also includes research awards to universities, hospitals, and life sciences companies.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAY ZERO DIAGNOSTICS INC | BOSTON, MA | $5,338,365 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| THE GENERAL HOSPITAL CORPORATION | BOSTON, MA | $5,102,054 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| CELLICS THERAPEUTICS INC | SAN DIEGO, CA | $4,970,180 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| PRESIDENT & FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLL | BOSTON, MA | $4,382,219 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| LOCUS BIOSCIENCES INC | MORRISVILLE, NC | $3,757,563 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| VISBY MEDICAL INC | SAN JOSE, CA | $3,625,868 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER | BOSTON, MA | $2,960,015 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| AVAILS MEDICAL INC | MENLO PARK, CA | $2,742,781 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| REGENTS UNIV OF CA LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $2,406,437 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CA | LOS ANGELES, CA | $2,203,113 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFO | LOS ANGELES, CA | $1,993,100 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY | DALLAS, TX | $1,975,362 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLO | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $1,959,038 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM | BIRMINGHAM, AL | $1,956,820 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS | NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA | $1,955,376 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| VEDANTA BIOSCIENCES INC | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $1,916,775 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MI | PITTSBURGH, PA | $1,756,322 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| THE BROAD INSTITUTE INC | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $1,741,710 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA | IOWA CITY, IA | $1,691,503 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| STATE OF MARYLAND | COLLEGE PARK, MD | $1,443,151 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTE | BOSTON, MA | $1,429,577 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| MACRO BIOLOGICS INC | CARLSBAD, CA | $1,394,054 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| CLINTON HEALTH ACCESS INITIATIVE IN | BOSTON, MA | $1,362,833 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| THE BRIGHAM & WOMENS HOSPITAL INC | BOSTON, MA | $1,202,450 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY | CHICAGO, IL | $1,155,371 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $1,001,444 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| MELIOLABS INC | SANTA CLARA, CA | $985,807 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| UH-OH LABS INC | SANTA CLARA, CA | $953,787 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| SUTTER BAY HOSPITALS | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $924,491 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| PEPTILOGICS INC | PITTSBURGH, PA | $923,419 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| PROMPT DIAGNOSTICS LLC | BALTIMORE, MD | $913,614 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT S | NEW YORK, NY | $899,114 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| DANA-FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE INC | BOSTON, MA | $867,750 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| TRUSTEES OF TUFTS COLLEGE | MEDORD, MA | $835,535 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIV OF CA DAVIS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $829,780 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| GE MEDICAL SYSTEMS INFORMATION TECH | NISKAYUNA, NY | $809,425 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| THE JACKSON LABORATORY | CHICAGO, IL | $800,066 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIV BOT | MIAMI, FL | $796,148 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY | WALTHAM, MA | $782,767 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| ZABBIO INC | SAN DIEGO, CA | $772,374 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| YESHIVA UNIVERSITY | BRONX, NY | $769,926 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| CHILDRENS HOSPITAL CORPORATION | BOSTON, MA | $764,285 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| SYNTIRON LLC | SAINT PAUL, MN | $705,319 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| AMERICAN COLLEGE OF RADIOLOGY | RESTON, VA | $697,972 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON | CHICAGO, IL | $696,804 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE | SAN ANTONIO, TX | $683,232 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF UNIVERSITY OF | CHICAGO, IL | $676,014 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY | ATLANTA, GA | $582,962 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN | AUSTIN, TX | $494,240 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA - CHAP | ATLANTA, GA | $489,000 | 2026 | RESEARCH |
DAY ZERO DIAGNOSTICS INC
$5,338,365RESEARCH
THE GENERAL HOSPITAL CORPORATION
$5,102,054RESEARCH
CELLICS THERAPEUTICS INC
$4,970,180RESEARCH
LOCUS BIOSCIENCES INC
$3,757,563RESEARCH
VISBY MEDICAL INC
$3,625,868RESEARCH
AVAILS MEDICAL INC
$2,742,781RESEARCH
REGENTS UNIV OF CA LOS ANGELES
$2,406,437RESEARCH
THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CA
$2,203,113RESEARCH
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFO
$1,993,100RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
$1,956,820RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
$1,955,376RESEARCH
VEDANTA BIOSCIENCES INC
$1,916,775RESEARCH
THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MI
$1,756,322RESEARCH
THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
$1,691,503RESEARCH
STATE OF MARYLAND
$1,443,151RESEARCH
MACRO BIOLOGICS INC
$1,394,054RESEARCH
THE BRIGHAM & WOMENS HOSPITAL INC
$1,202,450RESEARCH
MELIOLABS INC
$985,807RESEARCH
UH-OH LABS INC
$953,787RESEARCH
PEPTILOGICS INC
$923,419RESEARCH
PROMPT DIAGNOSTICS LLC
$913,614RESEARCH
REGENTS OF THE UNIV OF CA DAVIS
$829,780RESEARCH
GE MEDICAL SYSTEMS INFORMATION TECH
$809,425RESEARCH
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIV BOT
$796,148RESEARCH
ZABBIO INC
$772,374RESEARCH
SYNTIRON LLC
$705,319RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
$696,804RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE
$683,232RESEARCH
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF UNIVERSITY OF
$676,014RESEARCH
GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
$582,962RESEARCH
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
$494,240RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA - CHAP
$489,000RESEARCH