Open nowRolling / open intakeAward: Varies
Research Priority Areas (RPA) — University-wide research funding
materials sciencematerials engineeringadvanced materials+1 more
Who can apply: Materials Science RPA members.
About University of Kentucky Research Foundation
The University of Kentucky Research Foundation directs virtually all of its philanthropy to support the University of Kentucky, funding scholarships and capital purchases that advance higher education and campus infrastructure. Its giving appears focused on strengthening the institution’s academic mission and physical assets rather than a broad portfolio of external nonprofits.
Focus Areas
Undergraduate and graduate scholarships at the University of KentuckyCapital projects and campus infrastructure purchases for the University of KentuckyDirect institutional support for university research and academic programs
Who They Fund
individual students/scholars (scholarship recipients)educational institutions or programs (capital recipients)nonprofit organizations seeking capital assets
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated: very large, institutionally targeted grants (two grants totaling ~$93M) all to a single beneficiary; repeat funding to the same institution rather than distributed or small grants.
About University of Kentucky Research Foundation
The University of Kentucky Research Foundation’s recent giving is defined by large, recurring awards to the University of Kentucky for scholarships and capital purchases. Two back-to-back grants, one for $47,678,406 in 2024 and another for $45,115,472 in 2023, show a pattern of institutional support that combines student aid with physical and operational investment. That focus aligns with the foundation’s role in funding the university itself rather than a broad set of external nonprofits. Its grantmaking also reaches into the university’s research infrastructure through internal programs tied to clinical translation, research priority areas, and campus sustainability. The result is a portfolio centered on higher education capacity: helping fund students, strengthening campus assets, and supporting targeted research activity within the University of Kentucky. Leadership is listed with Penny Cox, and the foundation’s grants are local in scope, with recipients in Kentucky.
What University of Kentucky Research Foundation Funds
A central theme is scholarship support. The largest recent award, $47,678,406 to the University of Kentucky, was designated for scholarships and capital purchase, showing that student aid is funded alongside institutional assets. Research infrastructure is another clear priority. The Research Priority Areas program allocates pilot and seed project funds, start-up support, equipment, core support, and trainee or student research support in areas such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, energy, and materials science. The foundation also supports applied campus projects. Sustainability Challenge Grants back sustainability-related projects at the University of Kentucky and in Lexington, while the Neuroscience Research Priority Area includes both pilot grants and equipment grants for neuroscience research, collaborative projects, and NeuroBank support.
How University of Kentucky Research Foundation Gives
Grant size is unusually concentrated: the typical grant is about $46 million, with p25 at $45,756,206, a median of $46,396,939, and p75 at $47,037,672. The recent record also suggests repeated annual awards rather than isolated gifts, with major grants recorded in both 2023 and 2024. The foundation is a regular donor advised fund classification, but its giving is not donor-advised in the usual public-grantmaking sense; it operates through university-administered, restricted-purpose programs. Unsolicited applications are not accepted in the active programs listed, and several opportunities rely on internal competition or program-specific review.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$52M
Total Assets
$277.1M
Total Revenue
$496.1M
Total Expenses
$482.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $45.8M and $47M, with a median of $46.4M.
25th Percentile
$45.8M
Median
$46.4M
75th Percentile
$47M
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
PENNY COX
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