The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The filing says the foundation works by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests, so an organisation that has not been invited should not send one, and a first approach should come through an existing contact or relationship.
- Its funded work centres on disease-agnostic virtual labs with at least three participating entities, across ovarian cancer, melanoma, multiple myeloma, neural repair, peripheral neuropathy, spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis, so a project should fit one of these areas and bring several institutions together around a shared goal.
- Its grants are large: half of its 112 grants to organisations across its recent filings were about $530,000 or less, and about 8 in 10 fall between $310,000 and $2,500,000, although the largest was about $5,000,000, so that band is typical rather than a ceiling, and a much smaller request fits its usual giving less well.
- Repeat recipients take most of the money, with 98% of its grant dollars in its latest filing going to organisations it had also funded in earlier filings, so the process looks relationship-led and a new applicant should expect to build a connection before any proposal is considered.
- Invited proposals are submitted through Fluxx.io, and the filing gives no timing, so check the process directly before planning around a deadline.
Overview
The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation is a US private foundation based in Needham, MA.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation is dedicated to eliminating disease by changing how medical research is resourced and conducted, championing a disease-agnostic, collaborative and creative approach. Its programmes address the ubiquitin proteasome pathway, ovarian cancer, melanoma, multiple myeloma and neurological conditions including brain injury, peripheral neuropathy, spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis. It brings together cross-disciplinary scientists, laboratories and clinics in virtual labs, with shared goals to identify commonalities across diseases and focus on therapies and interventions. The foundation’s model favours long-term vision, common objectives, openness to creative risk, nimbleness and trust; it identifies investigators and invites collaborative research proposals, which undergo multi-level review.
Themes
- Ovarian cancer
- Melanoma
- Multiple myeloma
- Neural repair
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Spinal cord injury
- Multiple sclerosis
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in California, Massachusetts, Maryland, Texas, Israel, Germany and United Kingdom.
How to apply
Invited research proposals are submitted through Fluxx.io.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 98% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 112 grants to organisations were about $530,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- AMRF favours multidisciplinary, inter-institutional virtual labs with at least three participating entities, each bringing distinct expertise.
- AMRF expects each lab to have a shared purpose and tangible goals focused on commonalities across diseases and on therapies and interventions.
- Labs are expected to have a long-term vision, a common objective, a disease-agnostic approach, openness to creative risk, nimbleness and a culture of trust.
- AMRF recruits cross-disciplinary teams of leading scientists to pursue pioneering research on key areas of need.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 10%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 15%
- The largest single recipient received 11% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 98% of grant dollars went to organisations The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- 14% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Israel, Germany, United Kingdom).
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 38 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $674k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- University of California, Los Angeles · Medical research$4,982,1022024 tax year
- MD Anderson Cancer Center · Medical research$3,353,5352024 tax year
- Johns Hopkins University · Medical research$3,133,4852024 tax year
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute · Medical research$2,936,3282024 tax year
- Broad Institute · Medical research$2,655,9762024 tax year
- The Regents Of The University Of California SF · Medical research$2,491,7382024 tax year
- ST Johns Cancer Institute · Medical research$1,773,0252024 tax year
- University of Southern California · Medical research$1,599,7452024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Steven Garfinkel — Vice President & General Counsel
- Dr Miriam Adelson — Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $36,222,827 | $34,502,087 | $851,025 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $37,093,371 | $35,217,204 | $1,368,398 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $42,768,420 | $40,804,682 | $714,299 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.
Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.
Data privacy and security by default
Your organisation's past successful grants and experience
AI analysis of what reviewers want to see
A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours
Spotted something that needs correcting? Let us know
At a glance
Applying to The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (781) 972-5900
- Needham, MA
- adelsonfoundation.org/AMRF
Applying to The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (781) 972-5900
- Needham, MA
- adelsonfoundation.org/AMRF