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The Morningside Foundation

Annual Giving
$59.8M
Grant Range
$15K - $35.0M

The Morningside Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $59.8 million (2023)
  • Total Assets: $25.7 million (2023)
  • Grant Range: $15,000 - $35,000,000
  • Median Grant: $100,000
  • Number of Grants (2023): 17 awards
  • Geographic Focus: United States (primarily Massachusetts, California, Texas), Hong Kong, and China
  • Application Process: Invitation only - does not accept unsolicited requests

Contact Details

  • Address: 1188 Centre Street, Newton Centre, MA 02459-1556
  • Phone: 617-244-2800
  • Website: morningside.com/philanthropy
  • Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications

Overview

The Morningside Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation established in 1997 by the Chan family, descendants of T.H. Chan, the Hong Kong real estate tycoon who founded the Hang Lung Group. Based in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, the foundation is led by billionaire brothers Gerald and Ronnie Chan. Since 2015, the foundation has awarded 71 individual grants totaling over $236 million.

The foundation has made headline-grabbing philanthropic commitments, including a $350 million gift to Harvard School of Public Health (2014), $175 million to UMass Medical School (2021), and $100 million to MIT (2022). Despite these massive gifts, the brothers maintain a notably low public profile. The foundation's giving philosophy centers on two priorities: supporting science and enabling education. Approximately 45% of gifts go to educational purposes, 35% to religious causes, 10% to the arts, and 5% each to medical and research purposes.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation makes significant grants across several categories:

  • Higher Education (Major Gifts): $35,000,000 - $350,000,000 — Transformational gifts to universities for medical schools, public health, and design programs
  • Education (Standard): $15,000 - $3,000,000 — Support for schools and educational institutions
  • Scientific Research: $25,000 - $100,000 — Grants to scientific organizations and research collaboratives
  • Religious Organizations: Varies — Support for churches and faith-based causes
  • Arts: Varies — Support for arts organizations

Application Method: All grantmaking is by invitation only.

Priority Areas

  • Medical Education and Public Health: Major gifts to medical schools and schools of public health, with emphasis on both private and public institutions
  • Design and Innovation: Support for cross-disciplinary design education bridging engineering, science, architecture, and arts
  • Scientific Research: Funding for biomedical research, genomics, and Alzheimer's research
  • Educational Access: Scholarships for students at universities in the US, China, and Hong Kong
  • Classical Music Education: The Morningside Music Bridge program supports talented young classical musicians

What They Don't Fund

  • The foundation has explicitly stated it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds
  • Makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations
  • Not a general purpose grantmaker for small community organizations

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors

NameRoleCompensation
Gerald ChanDirector$0
Ronnie ChanDirector$0
Adriel ChanDirector$0
Peter Stuart Allenby EdwardsDirector$0
Paula E. TurnbullVice President$0
Lisa M. SambucciVice President$0

Key Leadership Insights

Gerald Chan holds a Doctor of Science in radiation biology from Harvard and co-founded the Morningside Group in 1987. He leads the family's investment and philanthropic operations from Massachusetts.

Ronnie Chan oversees family business operations in Hong Kong. He has stated: "In the final days of my late father's life in 1985, our family came to an unwritten consensus to donate the family wealth to charities."

On philanthropy, Ronnie Chan articulates the family's approach: "You make money from society, you give the money back to society."

Gerald Chan on the purpose of giving: "If I am being recognized today for my philanthropic work, I'd like to note that for me, philanthropy is a voluntary departure from a rights-based rubric of how one relates to his fellow men to one that has its source in duty, empathy, community, an exalted view of man and an abiding commitment to the dignity of all."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process.

The Morningside Foundation has explicitly indicated it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. As with most private foundations led by living donors, grantmaking is by invitation only.

The foundation's website is a "spartan affair" with minimal public-facing information, reflecting the family's preference for low-profile giving.

How Grants Are Typically Awarded

Grants originate through several mechanisms:

  1. Institutional outreach: The UMass gift originated from an unsolicited letter from the university's chancellor to Gerald Chan, demonstrating they are receptive to compelling institutional pitches from prestigious organizations
  2. Personal connections: Gerald Chan identifies opportunities through his extensive network in biotechnology and higher education
  3. Board relationships: Grants flow to institutions where family members have existing relationships or alumni connections (Gerald is a Harvard alumnus)
  4. Due diligence visits: For the UMass gift, Gerald Chan visited the campus and met with faculty, students, and leadership before committing

Decision Timeline

There is no standard timeline as all grants are made at the discretion of the directors. Major gifts appear to involve substantial due diligence periods, including campus visits and relationship building.

Success Rates

Not applicable — the foundation does not accept applications from the general public, so there is no competitive application process with measurable success rates.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the invitation-only grantmaking model.

Recent Grant Recipients (2023)

RecipientAmountPurpose
MIT$19,900,000Education
Winthrop Park School Inc$2,630,000Education
Church in Irving$1,000,000Religious
University of Chicago$333,334Education
Emory University$100,000Education
Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative$100,000Research
American Association for the Advancement of Science$50,000Science
Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society$25,000Research
President and Fellows of Harvard$20,000Religious
Salient Publications Inc$15,000Education

Additional recipients not fully documented in public sources

Application Success Factors

What the Foundation Values (Based on Their Stated Priorities)

Excellence in Institution: Gerald Chan was impressed by UMass Medical School's "admission practice, which attends to both quality and inclusion," noting the school's track record of admitting students from disadvantaged backgrounds who became distinguished medical leaders.

Scientific and Commercial Potential: Chan revealed the foundation discovered UMass after examining the region for biotechnology opportunities: "I promptly found outstanding intellectual properties with which Morningside started two biotech companies."

Public-Private Balance: On supporting UMass, Chan stated: "In choosing to support UMass Medical School, The Morningside Foundation also wants to recognize the importance of public-private education... it is all too easy for us in Massachusetts to lose sight that it is the state universities that bear the bulk of the burden of educating the young people of this country."

Unrestricted Use: The foundation favors unrestricted gifts. When asked how he would monitor the Harvard gift, Chan responded: "I said, 'Nothing.'... It is the dean who runs the school, not me. Designated gifts can strengthen specific parts of the school; unrestricted gifts can strengthen the school as a whole."

Strong Leadership: The foundation supports institutions with strong academic leadership and clear vision.

What Gets Their Attention

Based on the UMass example, direct, compelling outreach from senior institutional leaders (such as chancellors or presidents) can be effective, particularly if:

  • The institution demonstrates scientific excellence
  • There is potential for biotechnology commercialization
  • The institution serves underrepresented populations
  • The request aligns with supporting science or enabling education

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Invitation-only grantmaking: The foundation explicitly does not accept unsolicited applications. Do not submit cold applications.

  2. Relationship-driven: Major gifts flow through personal connections, alumni relationships, and direct outreach from senior institutional leaders.

  3. Focus on prestige institutions: Grants overwhelmingly go to major research universities (Harvard, MIT, UMass, University of Chicago, Emory) and scientific organizations.

  4. Two core priorities: All giving aligns with "supporting science" and "enabling education" — these are non-negotiable focus areas.

  5. Institutional leadership matters: If you represent a major research institution, direct outreach from your chancellor or president may be the only viable path.

  6. Religious giving is significant: 35% of grants go to religious organizations, primarily churches, though these relationships appear to be personal to the family.

  7. Think transformational: The foundation makes a small number of very large gifts rather than many small grants. Median grant is $100,000, but major gifts range into hundreds of millions.

  8. Unrestricted gifts preferred: The foundation favors unrestricted giving that empowers institutional leadership to deploy funds strategically.

References

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