Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and works only with programmes it selects, so a cold application is unlikely to get a hearing; any approach should go through a route the foundation itself has opened.
- Its stated focus is scientific research and educational programmes, with a priority on the United States, so an organisation should consider it only if its work falls in those areas.
- Its typical grant band is $5,000 to $1,000,000, and half of its 129 grants to organisations were $15,000 or less, so a modest request near the median fits its giving better than a large one.
- Although 99% of its grant dollars went to organisations it had funded in its earlier filings, meaning repeat grantees dominate, this does not by itself rule out a new organisation whose work matches its programmes.
Overview
Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation is a US private foundation based in Tucson, AZ.
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 provides financial support for scientific research and educational programmes at qualified non-profit organisations. It describes its giving as support for selected scientific and educational programmes throughout the United States. Research Corporation Technologies established the foundation and supports it through donations; the foundation is a private, non-operating entity. It was named in honour of university professor and inventor Frederick Gardner Cottrell, who championed the transfer of academic innovation to public use. Its published description says that it does not accept unsolicited grant requests and refers to its supported programmes as selected.
Themes
- Scientific research
- Educational programmes
Geographic Focus
Priority: United States.
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 99% 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 129 grants to organisations were $15,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 2%
- The largest single recipient received 26% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 99% of grant dollars went to organisations Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 8% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 39 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $15,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- MedTech Innovator · Charitable entity support$3,606,2502024 tax year
- C-PATH Institute · Charitable entity support$3,100,0002024 tax year
- Stanford Biodesign Fogarty Institute · Charitable entity support$1,000,0002024 tax year
- Research Corporation for Science Advancement · Charitable entity support$520,5792024 tax year
- Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health · Charitable entity support$300,0002024 tax year
- Soteria Precision Medicine Foundation · Charitable entity support$220,0002024 tax year
- HonorHealth Research Institute · Charitable entity support$200,0002024 tax year
- University of Arizona Foundation · Charitable entity support$128,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Mark Gilreath — Director
- Theodore Samuels — Director
- James Mack — Director
- Shaun Kirkpatrick — Director
- Jeffrey Jacob — Director
- Christopher Martin — Chairman
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $30,502,706 | $11,992,000 | $43,384,465 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $7,225,787 | $12,032,369 | $40,990,944 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $4,057,520 | $9,611,804 | $69,961,075 | 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
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At a glance
Applying to Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Tucson, AZ
- rctech.com/about-us/foundation
Applying to Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Tucson, AZ
- rctech.com/about-us/foundation