G Harold And Leila Mathers Charitable Foundation - Grant Information & Application Details

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $18.6 million (2024)
Total Assets: $107.9 million
Decision Time: 5-6 months from LOI submission
Grant Range: $600,000 - $700,000 (over 3 years, inclusive of 10% indirect costs)
Geographic Focus: U.S.-based 501(c)(3) institutions
Number of Awards: 76 grants (2023)
Application Cycle: Spring and Fall cycles annually

Contact Details

Address: 800 Westchester Avenue, Suite N-503, Rye Brook, New York 10573

Website: https://mathersfoundation.org/

Overview

The G. Harold & Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation was established in 1983 in Santa Barbara, California, honoring the philanthropic vision of G. Harold Mathers (1901–1976) and Leila Young Mathers (1905–1980). With total assets of $107.9 million and annual giving of $18.6 million, the foundation is dedicated to advancing knowledge in the life sciences by funding bold, basic scientific research with the potential to transform human health. Originally funded by assets from the C. W. Post estate, the foundation has evolved from focusing solely on basic medical research to embracing innovative research with translational potential. Since its inception, the foundation has granted more than $350 million to support research aimed at advancing knowledge in the life sciences. The foundation is managed by Meyer Handelman Company, LLC, and remains an independent, permanently endowed private organization.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation offers a single grant program with the following parameters:

Basic & Translational Research Grants: $600,000 - $700,000 over three years (inclusive of 10% indirect costs)
Application method: Limited institutional nomination process with biannual cycles (Spring and Fall)
Each institution may nominate up to three Principal Investigators per cycle

Priority Areas

The foundation funds basic scientific research with transformative potential in the following areas:

Immunology
Microbiome
Structural Biology
Cellular Physiology
Cancer Biology
Genetics and Genomics
Microbiology & Infectious Diseases
Stem Cell Biology
Neuroscience

The foundation seeks novel ideas with established proof of concept, emphasizing early-stage, high-risk, high-reward scientific research. Projects should be basic science with translational potential that may not be fundable at the federal level.

What They Don't Fund

COVID-19 research
Plant biology
Clinical trials
Vaccine development
Ecological research
AI-generated data as primary research
Human subject research involving direct interventions
Construction or renovation costs
Student tuition
Equipment over $5,000
Computers or AI data generation systems
Projects currently or previously supported with federal funds (may receive lower priority)

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees:

Gill Mathers - Chair of the Board of Trustees

Key Personnel:

Richard Handelman - President/Director
Howard Chester - Secretary/Director
Zachary Handelman - Treasurer/Vice President and Director of Operations

The foundation's assets have been managed since inception by the Meyer Handelman Company, LLC. The foundation remains guided by its commitment to basic scientific research in the life sciences, with a philosophy emphasizing that "foundational discoveries drive groundbreaking innovations" and that "true transformative breakthroughs usually occur after a thorough understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying natural phenomena."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Step 1: Registration & Institutional Nomination (2 weeks before LOI deadline)

All applicants must register in the FLUXX web-based portal
Each institution must conduct an internal limited competition to select up to three nominees per cycle
The designated Administrative Contact must email the nominees' names and project titles to grants@mathersfoundation.org by the nomination deadline
Registration must be completed at least two weeks before the cycle due date

Step 2: Letter of Inquiry (LOI)

Only institutionally nominated researchers may submit LOIs
LOIs include seven required fields: project title, project summary, preliminary budget, project aims, proof of concept, research category, and discoveries/publications
Applications must demonstrate novel basic research with established proof of concept

Step 3: Formal Proposal (by invitation only)

Only approved LOI applicants receive invitations to submit formal proposals
Proposal narrative must be written for a scientific audience
Maximum 7 pages, following required portal sections
Must include updated supplementary materials

Eligibility Requirements:

U.S.-based, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) independent and educational institutions
Principal Investigators with fully equipped labs
All professorship levels welcome (though mid-to-late career faculty with established research backgrounds are particularly encouraged)

Decision Timeline

LOI to Invitation: Applicants are notified of proposal approval or rejection within approximately 75 days of the LOI due date
Formal Proposal to Award: Award decisions are made within three months after formal proposal submission
Total Timeline: The entire process from LOI submission to final proposal approval and grant award may take up to 120 days, or typically 5-6 months

Notification Methods:

Email notifications through the FLUXX portal
The foundation does not provide feedback for declined LOIs
Feedback is provided upon request for declined formal proposals
The foundation's decision is final; appeals are not considered

Success Rates

The foundation receives 300+ LOI applications per cycle, with numbers growing annually. In 2023, the foundation made 76 awards totaling $16.5 million. While exact success rates are not published, the foundation describes the competition as "highly competitive" with "only a small fraction of applications receiving funding."

Reapplication Policy

Resubmitting declined applications is strongly discouraged. If reapplying, proposals should propose a different research direction rather than resubmitting the same project. Renewal applications for the same or related research will not be accorded priority consideration. The foundation advises that any re-application for grant renewal should consider a new direction based on prior research or emphasize new potential translational aspects.

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's guidance and funded projects, the following factors contribute to competitive applications:

1. Transformative Potential with Proof of Concept The foundation specifically seeks "novel ideas with established proof of concept." This means research must be innovative yet demonstrate preliminary data showing feasibility. As stated on their website, they look for "innovative, novel proposals, which have scientific merit with an established published proof of concept, and which may not be fundable at the federal level."

2. Focus on Basic Science with Translational Horizon The foundation has "enjoyed special recognition in the research community in supporting 'basic' scientific research, realizing that true transformative breakthroughs usually occur after a thorough understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying natural phenomena." Projects should emphasize fundamental mechanisms while articulating potential future medical applications.

3. Examples of Funded Research Recent successful grants include:

Dr. Saskia Hemmers (Duke): "Origin matters: Decoding how neonatal T cell persistence contributes to health and disease" ($633,000)
Dr. David Pellman (Dana-Farber): Contractile forces affecting proteins that bind to DNA to govern gene expression ($750,000)
Dr. Philip Kranzusch (Dana-Farber): Molecular messengers produced by enzymes to induce cancer-fighting immune responses ($600,000)
Dr. Deblina Sarkar: Surgery-free bioelectronic nanoimplants for deep brain stimulation
Dr. Anne O'Donnell: Genetic variant analysis using 100,000+ human genomes

4. Stand Out from Federal Funding Projects that may not be competitive for federal funding due to their high-risk, early-stage nature are ideal candidates. The foundation specifically values research "which may not be fundable at the federal level."

5. Clear Budget Justification The three-year budget (maximum $600,000-$700,000 including 10% indirect) must clearly describe major expense line items. Equipment over $5,000 and computers/AI data generation systems are not funded.

6. Institutional Support Matters Since each institution can only nominate three researchers per cycle, successful applicants typically have strong institutional backing and have competed successfully in internal competitions.

7. Established Track Record While all professorship levels are welcome, the foundation notes that "mid-late career faculty with an established and recognized research background are particularly encouraged to apply." The LOI requires brief descriptions of "most impactful discoveries and/or best publications."

8. Interdisciplinary Collaboration (When Appropriate) As technology advances, "investigations in the area of basic science and translational research may become more and more reliant on collaborative, interdisciplinary projects." Collaborative proposals should clearly articulate each collaborator's expertise and achievements.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Limited competition structure means institutional buy-in is essential - secure internal support early, as your institution can only nominate three PIs per cycle
Demonstrate both novelty AND proof of concept - the foundation wants innovative ideas backed by preliminary data showing scientific merit
Position as too bold for federal funding - emphasize the high-risk, high-reward, early-stage nature that makes the project difficult to fund through traditional channels
Budget carefully within the $600,000-$700,000 cap - this includes 10% indirect costs and excludes equipment over $5,000
Don't resubmit rejected applications - reapplications are strongly discouraged unless proposing substantially different research directions
Emphasize fundamental mechanisms over clinical applications - while translational potential matters, the foundation prioritizes understanding basic biological processes
Expect a 5-6 month process - plan accordingly from LOI submission through final award decision, with no appeals possible

References

The Mathers Foundation Official Website - https://mathersfoundation.org/ (Accessed January 2026)
The Mathers Foundation "How to Apply" - https://mathersfoundation.org/how-to-apply/ (Accessed January 2026)
The Mathers Foundation "About Us" - https://mathersfoundation.org/about-us/ (Accessed January 2026)
The Mathers Foundation "FAQ's" - https://mathersfoundation.org/faq/ (Accessed January 2026)
The Mathers Foundation "Success Stories" - https://mathersfoundation.org/success-stories/ (Accessed January 2026)
The Mathers Foundation "Formal Proposal" - https://mathersfoundation.org/?page_id=593 (Accessed January 2026)
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - G Harold And Leila Mathers Charitable Foundation - https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/237441901 (Accessed January 2026)
Penn State Research Support - G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation Grants - https://researchsupport.psu.edu/limited-submission/g-harold-and-leila-y-mathers-charitable-foundation-grants-fall-2025/ (Accessed January 2026)
Duke Department of Integrative Immunobiology - "Saskia Hemmers awarded grant from Mathers Foundation" - https://immunobiology.duke.edu/news/saskia-hemmers-awarded-grant-mathers-foundation (Accessed January 2026)
Dana-Farber Campaign - "Mathers Foundation grants accelerate basic biology research" - https://defycancer.dana-farber.org/donor-recognition/mathers-foundation/ (Accessed January 2026)