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The Vallee Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$3.3M
Grant Range
$10K - $0.4M
Decision Time
9mo
Success Rate
13%

The Vallee Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $3,252,078 (2024)
  • Total Assets: $64.8 million
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $400,000
  • Geographic Focus: International (with emphasis on leading research institutions worldwide)
  • Application Method: Invitation only (institutional nominations)
  • Decision Time: Approximately 7-9 months (December nomination deadline to September announcement)

Contact Details

Address: One Mifflin Place, Suite 400, Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: +1 415 413 6710
Website: https://thevalleefoundation.org
Executive Director: Alexa Mason (alexa.mason@thevalleefoundation.org - for Scholar Awards inquiries)

Overview

The Vallee Foundation was established in 1996 by Bert L. Vallee and Natalie "Kuggie" Kugris Vallee to advance biomedical science through international collaboration and support for early-career researchers. With assets of $64.8 million and annual giving of approximately $3.3 million, the foundation focuses on fostering "originality, creativity, and leadership within biomedical scientific research and medical education." The foundation's strategic approach emphasizes promoting a collegial community of international scientists and enhancing scientific collaboration and communication. Since 2013, the foundation has invested over $20 million in its flagship Vallee Scholar Awards program. The foundation is governed by a distinguished board led by Dr. Peter M. Howley, Shattuck Professor at Harvard Medical School, and includes renowned scientists from institutions such as UC Berkeley, University of Oxford, and the Francis Crick Institute.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Vallee Scholar Awards (primary program)

  • Amount: $400,000 per award (distributed over 4 years)
  • Number: 6 awards annually
  • Eligibility: Early-career independent investigators in basic biomedical research
  • Focus: Bold and innovative basic biomedical research with preference for projects with technology-development components
  • Application: Institutional nomination only (invited institutions only)
  • Deadlines: December 1 (nomination); February 1 (full application)

Vallee Visiting Professorships (VVP)

  • Duration: One-month sabbaticals
  • Purpose: Pairs outstanding scientists with premier biomedical research institutes worldwide
  • Benefits: Promotes intellectual exchanges, fosters new partnerships, facilitates research planning and experimentation
  • Application: Information available through the foundation

ASBMB Award (Bert and Natalie Vallee Award in Biomedical Science)

  • Amount: $10,000 plus travel expenses
  • Frequency: Annual
  • Purpose: Recognize international achievements in sciences basic to medicine
  • Recipient Profile: Established scientist with outstanding accomplishments in basic biomedical research
  • Nomination: Must be nominated by ASBMB members (nominee need not be member)

Eddy Fischer Fellowship Fund

  • Purpose: Support young scientists to attend Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings in life sciences
  • Named after: Former board member and 1992 Nobel Prize recipient Eddy Fischer

Kuggie Vallee Distinguished Lectures

  • Purpose: Inspire young women to pursue careers in science
  • Format: Annual lecture series featuring prominent women in biomedical sciences
  • Location: Institutions affiliated with Vallee Visiting Professors and Young Investigator Awardees
  • Activities: Public lecture on scientific work plus informal career development sessions

Priority Areas

  • Basic biomedical research (all areas considered)
  • Technology development in biomedical sciences
  • Research with broad scientific impact
  • Cutting-edge research (technically and/or scientifically)
  • Projects may have translational goals but must focus on basic research
  • Support for historically under-represented minorities in science
  • Advancement of women in biomedical sciences

What They Don't Fund

  • Personal salary for award recipients (Vallee Scholar Awards)
  • Indirect costs exceeding 10% of award (Vallee Scholar Awards)
  • Graduate student tuition exceeding $10,000 per year (Vallee Scholar Awards)
  • Applied research without basic science foundation
  • Established senior investigators (for Scholar Awards)
  • Direct public applications (all programs require nomination or invitation)

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors

  • Peter M. Howley, MD - President; Shattuck Professor of Pathological Anatomy and Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School; elected to National Academy of Sciences (1993), Institute of Medicine (1994), and American Academy of Arts and Science (1996)
  • Wade Harper, PhD - Vice President; Bert and Natalie Vallee Professor of Molecular Pathology
  • Peter Campot - Treasurer; Director of Construction, Wynn Everett
  • Beppie Huidekoper - Assistant Treasurer

Additional Directors

  • Lewis Cantley, PhD - Professor of Cancer Biology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute
  • Jesper Haeggström, PhD - Director of Cardiovascular Program, Karolinska Institutet
  • Eva Nogales, PhD - Distinguished Professor, UC Berkeley
  • Sheila Ohlund - Managing Director, Grove Financial Services
  • Carol Robinson, PhD - Dr Lee's Professor of Chemistry, University of Oxford
  • Karen Vousden, PhD - Principal Group Leader, The Francis Crick Institute
  • Ernst Winnacker, PhD - Gene Center Munich

Officers

  • Alexa Mason - Executive Director and Secretary
  • Michael O'Connell - Assistant Secretary

Directors Emeritus

  • S. James Adelstein (Past President, served 2010-2015)
  • Louise Gross
  • Gordon G. Hammes
  • David Ogden

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Vallee Scholar Awards

The Vallee Scholar Awards operate on a highly selective, invitation-only institutional nomination system. Individual researchers cannot apply directly.

Step 1: Institutional Selection (September)

  • The Vallee Foundation Board of Directors selects approximately 40-50 premier research institutions globally each year
  • Invited institutions include major universities such as Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Yale, UCLA, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Karolinska Institutet, and other leading research centers across multiple countries
  • Each institution receives a direct invitation in September

Step 2: Internal Institutional Process

  • Each invited institution may submit only ONE nomination
  • Institutions typically convene internal selection committees to identify their nominee
  • The Dean or Department Chair submits a Letter of Nomination to the Vallee Foundation
  • Letter must include: nominee's name and email, description of candidate merit and research, account of institution's selection process, confirmation of eligibility

Step 3: Nomination Deadline (December 1)

  • Institutional Letter of Nomination due to the Vallee Foundation

Step 4: Candidate Application (February 1)

  • Nominated candidates receive log-on credentials from Executive Director Alexa Mason
  • Candidates complete full application including:
    • CV
    • Research proposal
    • Budget
    • Two most important published papers
    • Project summary
    • Research innovation explanation
    • Background and training description
    • Mentorship approach
    • Impact of funding explanation
  • Two letters of reference due directly from referees to Executive Director

Step 5: Selection and Announcement (Early September)

  • Foundation announces 6 new Vallee Scholars annually
  • Scholars participate in annual meetings during the 4-year grant period

Other Programs

  • Vallee Visiting Professorships: Contact foundation for information on how to participate
  • ASBMB Award: Nominations submitted by ASBMB members
  • Kuggie Vallee Distinguished Lectures: Delivered at institutions affiliated with Vallee programs

Decision Timeline

  • September Year 1: Institutions invited to nominate
  • December 1: Institutional nominations due
  • February 1: Full applications and reference letters due
  • Early September Year 2: Award announcements (approximately 9 months from nomination)
  • Total Process: 12 months from institutional invitation to announcement

Success Rates

The Vallee Scholar Awards are highly competitive:

  • Approximately 40-50 institutions invited annually
  • Each institution submits maximum one nomination = ~40-50 applications
  • 6 awards given annually
  • Estimated success rate: 12-15% among nominated candidates
  • However, each nominee has already been selected from their entire institution, making the candidate pool exceptionally strong

Reapplication Policy

  • Career interruptions (family care, medical leave) may extend the 12-year PhD deadline requirement
  • Previous award recipients are not automatically disqualified from other Vallee programs
  • The foundation "welcomes applications from outstanding scientists from diverse backgrounds and experiences"
  • Specific reapplication policies for unsuccessful Vallee Scholar nominees are not publicly detailed, though institutions can nominate different candidates in subsequent years

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's explicit guidance and recent recipient profiles:

Research Profile

  • "It is expected that Vallee Scholars will be engaged in bold and innovative research"
  • "The Foundation has a preference for projects with a technology-development component that expands the Foundation's research portfolio"
  • "Research proposed must be cutting-edge (technically and/or scientifically) and with broad impact"
  • While research can have translational goals, "the focus of the project must be basic biomedical research"

Candidate Profile

  • "In general, awardees are assistant professors with a substantial record of independent publications and grants"
  • "The Award is intended for junior faculty in the early stages of their career for whom it will have an impact"
  • Must demonstrate capacity for independent research leadership
  • Eligibility: PhD/MD within 12 years, independent researcher for 6 years or fewer

Funding Considerations

  • "The Vallee Foundation has no restrictions on nominees having received other grant funding"
  • However, "the Selection Committee may, at its discretion, consider the levels and other sources of funding when comparing closely-ranked candidates"
  • The award is designed to provide impact for promising early-career investigators

Diversity and Inclusion

  • "The Vallee Foundation is mindful of the lack of diversity within the scientific research community as a whole and is committed to furthering the careers of historically under-represented minorities"
  • Foundation actively "welcomes nominations for outstanding scientists from diverse backgrounds and experiences"

Recent Recipients as Examples

2025 Scholars: David LV Bauer, Aude Bernheim, Akankshi Munjal, James Nuñez, Elizabeth Pollina, Daniel Semlow

2024 Scholars: Jason Buenrostro (Harvard/Broad Institute), Laura DeNardo (UCLA), Binyam Mogessie (Yale), Irma Querques (University of Vienna), Benjamin Ryskeldi-Falcon (MRC Cambridge), Nicholas Wu

These recipients represent diverse research areas within basic biomedical science, from molecular biology to neuroscience, demonstrating the foundation's broad interest across biomedical disciplines.

Strategic Application Tips

  • Ensure your institution's internal nomination process is robust and competitive
  • Emphasize the innovative and bold aspects of your research
  • Highlight any technology development components
  • Demonstrate broad scientific impact potential
  • Show how the award would specifically advance your independent career at this critical stage
  • Articulate your vision for mentorship and leadership

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Invitation-only system: You cannot apply directly; your institution must be invited and then nominate you through internal competition
  • Only one shot per institution: Each invited institution submits only one nomination, making internal institutional selection highly competitive
  • Bold and innovative required: The foundation explicitly seeks "bold and innovative research" with "cutting-edge" approaches and "broad impact"
  • Technology development valued: Projects with technology-development components that expand the foundation's portfolio receive preference
  • Timing is critical: 12-year post-PhD window and 6-year independent researcher limit create narrow eligibility window for early-career researchers
  • Long timeline: 9-month process from December nomination to September announcement requires advance planning
  • Other funding not disqualifying: Having other grants does not disqualify you, though may be considered when comparing closely-ranked candidates
  • Diversity commitment: Foundation actively seeks to support under-represented minorities in science
  • Flexible funding: Award provides unrestricted funding (within guidelines) allowing scholars to pursue their research vision with minimal constraints

References

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