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Larry L. Hillblom Foundation Inc.

Annual Giving
$6.3M
Grant Range
$75K - $0.1M
Decision Time
5mo

Larry L. Hillblom Foundation Inc.

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $6,277,914 (2023)
  • Total Grants Awarded: $150 million (317 grants since inception)
  • Grant Range: $75,000 - $120,000 per year
  • Grant Duration: Up to 3 years
  • Geographic Focus: California only
  • Application Method: Fixed annual deadline (January 31)

Contact Details

Address: 566 Broadway, Sonoma, CA 95476
Phone: (707) 762-6691
Email: sonoma@llhf.org
Website: https://llhf.org/

Overview

The Larry L. Hillblom Foundation (LLHF) was established in 1996 as a California non-profit public benefit corporation, funded through a bequest from Larry L. Hillblom, one of the three founders of DHL Worldwide Express. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded approximately $150 million across 317 medical research grants focused exclusively on California institutions, with particular emphasis on University of California research programs. The foundation supports basic scientific research, clinical research, and research related to patient self-care and management. With 132 grants supporting diabetes research and 185 grants supporting aging-related disease research, LLHF has established itself as a significant funder in these specialized medical research areas. In recent years, the foundation has maintained active grant-making with 42 awards in 2023, 52 awards in 2022, and 50 awards in 2021. Major grantees include UCSF, UCLA, the Salk Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Scripps Research Institute, UCSD, and Caltech.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Fellowship Grant: $75,000 per year for up to 3 years (non-renewable)

  • Purpose: Enable post-doctoral research fellowship training
  • Application opens January 1; deadline January 31 at 5:00 PM PST
  • Funding decisions made in June; anticipated start in July

Start-Up Grant: $120,000 per year for up to 3 years (non-renewable)

  • Purpose: Support qualified researchers initiating independent research careers
  • Application opens January 1; deadline January 31 at 5:00 PM PST
  • Funding decisions made in June; anticipated start in July

Network Grant: Maximum $600,000 per year for up to 4 years

  • Status: Currently paused to devote maximum resources toward Fellowship and Start-Up grants
  • Previously designed for groundbreaking research too risky for NIH funding

Priority Areas

The foundation supports medical research within the State of California with two primary focus areas:

  1. Diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome: Proposals should employ genetic, molecular, cellular, and/or metabolic approaches including studies of normal glucose metabolism and complications

  2. Chronic and degenerative diseases associated with aging: Primary focus on brain and vision disorders, including studies of healthy aging processes

Substantially all funding supports research at University of California institutions, though other California-based research institutions are eligible.

What They Don't Fund

  • Research conducted outside California
  • General operating expenses beyond specified budgets
  • Indirect costs exceeding 10%
  • Projects outside the two priority areas (diabetes/metabolic syndrome and aging-related brain/vision disorders)

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors

  • Joseph W. Waechter, Chairman and President
  • Peter J. Donnici, Chairman Emeritus
  • Grant A. Anderson, Vice President and Director
  • Ingrid Hermreck
  • Ida O'Brien
  • Hannah Anderson-Ortega
  • Janice E. Quistad
  • E. Lewis Reid
  • Stephen J. Schwartz

Executive Team

  • Dave Pier, Executive Director

Diabetes Advisory Board

  • Mark S. Anderson, MD, Ph.D. (UCSF School of Medicine)
  • John (Jack) Leahy, M.D. (University of Vermont Medical Center)
  • Jing Wang Hughes, MD Ph.D. (Yale School of Medicine)

Aging Advisory Board

  • Ana Maria Cuervo M.D., Ph.D. (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)
  • Daniel H. Geschwind, M.D., Ph.D. (UCLA)
  • Bruce Miller, M.D. (UCSF)

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

All LLHF grant applications must be submitted through the foundation's online grant management system at llhf.org. Applications are accepted annually with a fixed deadline.

Application Opens: January 1
Application Deadline: January 31 at 5:00 PM PST

Fellowship Grant Application Requirements

  • Cover page
  • Host institution letter of support
  • Mentor information
  • Research plan demonstrating distinct, important, and achievable project
  • Timeline with planned research milestones
  • CV/Biosketch
  • Two recommendation letters
  • IRB/IACUC documentation (if applicable)
  • Budget form

Start-Up Grant Application Requirements

  • Cover page
  • Host institution support documentation
  • Research plan distinct from mentor's work
  • Timeline
  • CV/Biosketch
  • Published papers
  • IRB/IACUC documentation (if applicable)
  • Budget form

Decision Timeline

  • Submission Deadline: January 31 at 5:00 PM PST
  • Funding Decisions: June
  • Anticipated Start Date: July
  • Decision Process: Board of Directors makes final funding decisions, which are not subject to appeal or review

Success Rates

Specific success rate percentages are not publicly disclosed. The foundation awarded 42 grants in 2023, 52 in 2022, and 50 in 2021. The foundation states: "LLHF makes no representations or assurances that any proposal received, notwithstanding its merit, will be funded."

Reapplication Policy

The foundation does not publicly state a specific reapplication policy for unsuccessful applicants. Interested parties should contact the foundation directly at sonoma@llhf.org or (707) 762-6691 for guidance on reapplication.

Application Success Factors

Fellowship Grant Success Factors

Applicant Qualifications: Fellows must be "highly promising based on performance during prior training with a demonstrated productivity in research." The fellow must demonstrate a distinct research plan that is important and achievable, with clearly identified research milestones.

Strong Preferences Given To:

  • Those who received their doctorate degree no more than 3 years prior to the application (exceptions may be explained)
  • Applicants who receive no extramural funding for the 3-year Fellowship period
  • Applicants who have not undertaken a fellowship in the past

Required Commitments:

  • 100% research commitment to the proposed project
  • Annual report submission to institution and foundation
  • Presentation at Annual Hillblom Scientific Meeting
  • Publication of research by end of year two

Start-Up Grant Success Factors

Career Stage Preference: Preference given to applicants who have not held a faculty position or equivalent for more than one year.

Research Effort Requirements: Strong preference for applicants able to devote at least 80% of their research effort in Year 1 to the proposed project, and whose first year of non-Hillblom funding will not interfere with that 80% commitment. Greatest preference for those whose effort is "devoted principally, if not exclusively, to the project proposed for funding."

Research Independence: The research plan must be distinct from the applicant's mentor's work, demonstrating independent research direction.

Research Approach: Proposals should employ genetic, molecular, cellular, and/or metabolic approaches to diabetes mellitus/metabolic syndrome or age-related chronic/degenerative disorders of the brain or vision.

Budget Considerations

Fellowship Grant:

  • Research costs: $5,000/year maximum for equipment
  • Travel: $2,500/year maximum
  • Indirect costs: 10% maximum

Start-Up Grant:

  • Supplies: $25,000/year maximum
  • Equipment: $5,000/year maximum
  • Travel: $2,500/year maximum
  • Indirect costs: 10% maximum

Example of Success

Manish Chamoli, a Hillblom Fellow from 2017-2020 at the Buck Institute, became one of the institute's most productive young scientists, co-authoring 27 publications while at the Buck, including work on taurine deficiency as a driver of aging published in Science. His project led to the formation of Symbiont, a company focused on leveraging mitophagy and mitophagy-inducing molecules for potential clinical therapies.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • California-only funding: The principal investigator's lab must be affiliated with an institution within the state of California. This is a non-negotiable requirement.
  • Early career focus: Both Fellowship and Start-Up grants strongly prefer researchers early in their careers (within 3 years of doctorate for fellowships; within 1 year of faculty position for start-ups).
  • Research commitment is critical: Demonstrate you can devote substantial research effort (100% for fellows, at least 80% for start-ups) to the proposed project without competing funding obligations.
  • Align with specific research approaches: Use genetic, molecular, cellular, and/or metabolic approaches in your methodology—this terminology appears consistently in their materials.
  • Demonstrate independence: Particularly for Start-Up grants, show how your research plan is distinct from your mentor's work.
  • Plan for engagement: Be prepared to attend the Annual Hillblom Scientific Meeting and present your research—this is a required component of receiving funding.
  • Annual application cycle: With a single January 31 deadline each year, timing is crucial. Applications open January 1, giving exactly one month for submission.
  • Low indirect cost rate: The 10% maximum indirect cost rate is significantly lower than many federal grants, which may affect institutional support.

References

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