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Michelson Medical Research Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$12.5M
Grant Range
$150K - $0.1M
Decision Time
6mo

Michelson Medical Research Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $12,492,560 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: 3-6 months (initial notification August/September, final decisions December)
  • Grant Range: $150,000 (Next Generation Grants)
  • Geographic Focus: International (US-based but accepts global applications)
  • Total Assets: Approximately $268 million

Contact Details

Website: https://www.michelsonmedicalresearch.org/

Email: michelsonprizes@nextfrontieradvisors.com (for Michelson Prizes program inquiries)

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals outside of their structured grant programs.

Overview

The Michelson Medical Research Foundation Inc was founded in 1995 by Dr. Gary K. Michelson, an orthopedic spinal surgeon and prolific medical inventor with nearly 1,000 patents worldwide. With total assets of approximately $268 million and annual giving of $12.5 million (2023), the foundation accelerates solutions to global health challenges by fostering high-risk, high-reward research approaches. The foundation's strategic focus centers on advancing human immunology, vaccine discovery, and immunotherapy research through convergent collaboration among engineers, scientists, and physicians. In August 2024, the foundation made a landmark $120 million gift to UCLA to establish the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, demonstrating their commitment to transformative institutional investments alongside individual researcher support.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Michelson Prizes: Next Generation Grants - $150,000 per award The flagship program awards 2-3 grants annually to early-career researchers (35 and under) advancing human immunology, vaccine discovery, and immunotherapy research. Applications are accepted from April 1 - June 22 each year through an online portal (https://michelsonprizes.smapply.org/). The program has awarded grants annually since 2017 as a collaboration between the foundation and the Human Immunome Project.

Michelson Philanthropies & Science Prize for Immunology Awards one $30,000 grand prize and two $10,000 runner-up awards annually, recognizing groundbreaking research in human immunology conducted in the past three years.

Major Institutional Grants The foundation makes significant institutional investments, such as the $120 million UCLA gift (2024) to establish research entities and provide research grants to students.

Priority Areas

The foundation prioritizes:

  • Human immunology research - tackling current roadblocks to human vaccine development
  • Vaccine discovery - expanding understanding of key immune processes fundamental to successful vaccine development
  • Immunotherapy research - focusing on major global diseases
  • High-risk, high-reward approaches - disruptive concepts that challenge current dogma
  • Interdisciplinary research - convergent collaboration across engineering, science, and medicine
  • Novel methodologies - multiplexed and non-traditional approaches demonstrating high degrees of novelty and creative thinking
  • Broad applicability - research with potential applications across multiple disease areas

The foundation encourages applications from the full spectrum of related disciplines, including clinical research, biochemistry, molecular biology, protein engineering, computer science, artificial intelligence/machine learning, biophysics, and nanotechnology. Prior experience in human immunology and vaccinology is not required if the application clearly articulates impact on advancing understanding of human immunology and/or vaccine science.

What They Don't Fund

  • Unsolicited proposals - The foundation does not accept grant requests outside of their structured programs
  • Indirect costs - The $150,000 Next Generation Grant is the full award amount; the foundation does not pay indirect costs per their standard grant policy
  • Research outside immunology/vaccine focus - While interdisciplinary approaches are welcomed, proposed research must clearly impact human immunology and/or vaccine science

Governance and Leadership

Dr. Gary K. Michelson - Founder and Co-Chair of Michelson Philanthropies (the umbrella organization that includes the Medical Research Foundation) A distinguished Board Certified Orthopedic Spinal Surgeon and the most prolific inventor in medical history with nearly 1,000 patents worldwide. Dr. Michelson has emphasized the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, stating: "We need to de-silo these brilliant scientists from all these different disciplines and have them live and work together on a common project. We need to do something that's never been done—we need to build a 'Field of Dreams' research center with about 500-600 scientists."

Alya Michelson - Co-Chair of Michelson Philanthropies An artist, philanthropist, and journalist with a Master's Degree in Economics who is passionate about uplifting women's and immigrant stories. She led an awarded career in journalism covering business, political, and military matters for Russian press and elected officials.

The foundation operates as part of Michelson Philanthropies, which includes multiple entities: Michelson Medical Research Foundation, Michelson Found Animals Foundation, Michelson 20MM Foundation, Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property, and the Michelson Center for Public Policy.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

For Michelson Prizes: Next Generation Grants:

Applications are submitted electronically through the online portal at https://michelsonprizes.smapply.org/. Paper applications are not accepted.

Application Window: April 1 - June 22 (annual cycle)

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Age 35 or younger at the time of application deadline
  • Early-career researchers including doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows, residents, interns, and those in non-tenure track positions
  • No requirement to be an independent investigator
  • Single application per person (multiple submissions not permitted)
  • Electronic submission only with firm deadline (no extensions granted)
  • No modifications permitted after submission

Application Method: Online portal, fixed annual deadline

Decision Timeline

Two-Stage Review Process:

  1. Initial Review (June - August): All applications undergo blinded review where applicants' names, gender, institution, ethnicity, and citizenship are concealed to ensure fairness.

  2. Initial Notification (Late August/Early September): All applicants receive communication about their status. Shortlisted candidates receive invitations to submit supplemental information.

  3. Supplemental Submission (September - October): Invited applicants have approximately one month to submit an expanded 5-page research plan, budget, and letters of recommendation. Note: Preliminary data is not required for supplemental submissions.

  4. Final Decisions (December): Applicants are notified of their selection for a Michelson Prize.

Total Timeline: 3-6 months from June deadline to final decision notification in December.

Success Rates

The foundation awarded $12,492,560 across 6 grants in 2023. The Next Generation Grants program typically awards 2-3 recipients annually (the 2024 awards marked the seventh class of laureates since the program's 2017 inception). Specific application numbers and success rates are not publicly disclosed.

Recent Recipients:

2024: Dr. Omar Abudayyeh (Harvard Medical School), Dr. Caleb Lareau (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center), Dr. Yuzhong Liu (Scripps Research)

2023: Dr. Siyuan Ding (Washington University in St. Louis), Dr. Claire Otero (Weill Cornell Medicine), Dr. Dennis Schaefer-Babajew (Rockefeller University)

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policies are not publicly detailed. Applicants should contact michelsonprizes@nextfrontieradvisors.com with questions about reapplication eligibility.

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's publicly stated selection criteria and successful applications:

1. Bold, Disruptive Research Concepts The selection committee prioritizes "bold research concepts that reach beyond convention to make a lasting impact." Successful applicants demonstrate ideas that challenge current dogma rather than incremental advances. The foundation explicitly supports "high-risk, high-reward research poised to tackle global health crises."

2. Clear Vision and Impact Articulation Winners clearly articulate how their research will tackle current roadblocks to human vaccine development and expand understanding of key immune processes. Even if you lack prior experience in human immunology, your application must convincingly demonstrate impact on advancing the field.

3. Novel and Creative Methodologies The foundation values "research incorporating multiplexed and non-traditional approaches demonstrating a high degree of novelty and creative thinking." Successful applications showcase innovative techniques or interdisciplinary methods.

4. Broad Applicability "Research with potential applications across multiple disease areas and states is of particular interest." Frame your work in terms of its broader implications beyond a single disease or condition.

5. Interdisciplinary Approaches The foundation actively encourages applications from computer scientists, engineers, physicists, and other non-traditional immunology disciplines. Dr. Michelson's vision emphasizes "de-siloing" scientists from different disciplines.

6. Transformative Potential for Early-Career Researchers The program "supports individuals early in their careers who possess novel ideas with significant potential to execute transformative change." Emphasize how the funding will enable you to pursue research that might be considered too risky for traditional government grants.

Common Success Patterns from Recent Laureates: Recent winners have come from leading research institutions (Harvard, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Rockefeller, Washington University, Weill Cornell, Scripps) and represent diverse disciplinary backgrounds applying cutting-edge techniques to immunology questions.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Emphasize disruption over incremental progress - The foundation explicitly seeks "high-risk, high-reward" research that challenges convention; frame your work as transformative rather than confirmatory
  • Don't be deterred by lack of immunology background - Interdisciplinary applicants from AI/ML, engineering, physics, and other fields are actively encouraged; focus on clearly articulating your research's impact on human immunology
  • Highlight broad applicability - Position your research as having implications across multiple diseases or immune processes rather than narrowly focused on a single condition
  • No indirect costs means lean budgets - The full $150,000 award includes no overhead; plan accordingly and demonstrate how you'll maximize research impact
  • Application timing is critical - The April 1 - June 22 window is firm with no extensions; applications cannot be modified after submission
  • Blinded review ensures equity - Initial review conceals demographic and institutional information, so let your science speak for itself in the early stages
  • Prepare for two-stage process - If shortlisted, you'll have approximately one month to prepare expanded materials; have potential recommenders identified in advance

References

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