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Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation

Annual Giving
$12.0M
Grant Range
$3K - $0.9M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $12,032,369 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $70 million (2024)
  • Number of Grants: 49 awards (2023)
  • Average Grant Size: ~$245,000
  • Geographic Focus: United States, national
  • Application Process: No public application process - invitation only

Contact Details

Address: 6440 N Swan Rd Ste 200, Tucson, AZ 85718-3643

Foundation Website: https://rctech.com/about-us/foundation/

Parent Organization: Research Corporation Technologies (RCT)

Note: The Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant requests. Financial statements can be requested by contacting the Secretary at the Tucson address.

Overview

The Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation was established in December 1998 by Research Corporation Technologies (RCT) as a private, non-operating corporate foundation. Named after Frederick Gardner Cottrell—a university professor and inventor who championed the transfer of academic innovation to public use—the foundation provides financial support for scientific research and educational programs at qualified nonprofit organizations. Since its formation, the foundation has distributed over $50 million in support of selected scientific and educational programs throughout the United States. The foundation is supported by donations from RCT and continues the legacy of the original Research Corporation founded in 1912.

Funding Priorities

Primary Focus Areas

Solar Energy Research: The foundation gives primarily for research on solar energy technologies.

Scientific Research: Supports scientific research at universities and research institutions across multiple disciplines.

Educational Programs: Funds scientific and educational initiatives at qualified nonprofit organizations.

Medical Device Innovation: Recent grants indicate support for pediatric health technology and medical device development.

Synthetic Biology: Has supported synthetic biology research through partnerships with organizations like iGEM.

Notable Grant Programs

The foundation operates through strategic, pre-selected funding rather than open grant programs. Recent funding initiatives have included:

  • Pediatric Device Innovation: $900,000 grant to the UCSF-Stanford Pediatric Device Consortium to support the Pediatric Accelerator Program, which provides innovators with advising, prototyping assistance, and up to $100,000 in seed funding.

  • iGEM Team Grants (2021): Distributed $225,000 among 90 synthetic biology teams, providing $2,500 per team to support impactful projects in pandemic response, climate change, agriculture, biomaterials, and other critical areas.

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented, but the foundation focuses exclusively on scientific research and educational programs at nonprofit organizations. They do not support unsolicited requests from organizations outside their pre-selected network.

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors (2024)

  • Christopher Martin - Chairman/President
  • Jeffrey Jacob - Director
  • Shaun Kirkpatrick - Director
  • James Mack - Director
  • Theodore Samuels - Director
  • Mark Gilreath - Director

All board members serve without compensation. The foundation operates as a corporate foundation affiliated with Research Corporation Technologies.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited grant requests.

Grants are awarded through:

  • Strategic initiatives identified by the foundation and its parent organization, RCT
  • Invitation-only opportunities
  • Pre-existing relationships with research institutions and nonprofit organizations

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation operates through Research Corporation Technologies (RCT), which has connections to university technology transfer offices and commercialization programs. Specific strategies that may be relevant:

  • Technology Transfer Connections: RCT focuses on investing in technology that originated in universities and research institutions worldwide. Organizations with strong university technology transfer partnerships may have indirect connections to the foundation's network.

  • RCT's Portfolio Areas: RCT invests in biomedical companies, medical devices, medical technology, new materials, optics technologies, and geophysics instruments. Organizations working in these areas that intersect with RCT's commercial interests may come to the foundation's attention.

  • Alignment with Historical Mission: The foundation honors Frederick Gardner Cottrell's vision of transferring academic innovation to public use. Research programs that demonstrate clear pathways from academic innovation to practical application may align with their strategic interests.

Decision Timeline

Specific timelines are not publicly available, as grants are awarded through strategic initiatives rather than application cycles.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the foundation operates on an invitation-only basis with preselected organizations.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - there is no public application process.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation operates exclusively through invitation and pre-selection, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, organizations that have received funding share certain characteristics:

Alignment with Core Mission: Funded organizations demonstrate clear connections to scientific research, particularly in solar energy, medical device innovation, and educational programs that advance scientific knowledge.

University and Research Institution Connections: The foundation's parent organization, RCT, maintains strong relationships with university technology transfer offices and research institutions. Organizations with these connections are more likely to be considered.

Innovation with Practical Application: Following Frederick Gardner Cottrell's legacy, the foundation appears to prioritize projects that transfer academic innovation to practical, public use—not just pure research but research with clear commercialization or public benefit pathways.

Large-Scale Impact Potential: Recent grants suggest the foundation favors initiatives that can scale impact, such as the $900,000 pediatric device grant that supports multiple innovators through an accelerator program, or the iGEM grants that funded 90 teams simultaneously.

Examples of Funded Work:

  • The UCSF-Stanford Pediatric Device Consortium, which provides infrastructure to support multiple medical device innovators
  • iGEM synthetic biology teams working on pandemic response, climate change, agriculture, and biomaterials
  • Solar energy research programs (specific recipients not publicly disclosed)

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process: This foundation cannot be approached through traditional grant applications. They only fund preselected organizations.

  • Strategic Relationship Building: Organizations interested in this funder should focus on building relationships with Research Corporation Technologies (RCT) and strengthening university technology transfer partnerships.

  • Focus on Innovation Transfer: The foundation's mission centers on transferring academic innovation to public use, following Frederick Gardner Cottrell's legacy of practical application of scientific research.

  • Solar Energy Priority: Solar energy research remains the stated primary focus area, though recent grants show broader support for scientific research and educational programs.

  • Substantial Grant Sizes: With 49 grants totaling over $12 million in 2023, the average grant size is approximately $245,000, indicating support for substantial projects.

  • Long-Term Relationship Model: The foundation's invitation-only approach suggests they work with organizations over time through strategic partnerships rather than one-off grant awards.

  • Connection to RCT's Commercial Interests: Organizations whose work aligns with RCT's investment focus (biomedical, medical devices, materials science, optics, geophysics) may have stronger indirect connections to foundation funding opportunities.

References

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