The Boston University Foundation Relations team, within the Office of Advancement, helps faculty identify, apply for, secure, and steward charitable gifts and grants from private philanthropic foundations and nongovernmental organizations. We match faculty research and programs with foundations’ priorities, which are often to support pilot projects and high-risk research that may not be attractive to traditional funders such as NIH and NSF. Additional details about how we work can be found in this overview.
“They were a GREAT addition to the process: proactive, professional, detail oriented, rapidly responsive, friendly, and accommodating….In short, they were a key member of our submission team. Truth be told, I am not 100% sure that we would have made the submission deadline without them.”
—Thomas Gilmore, PhD, Professor, Biology
Hundreds of foundation programs are focused on early-career faculty. Their funding can be highly beneficial, helping to seed a new project, confirm proof of concept, or generate pilot data. In contrast to federal funders, private funders are more willing to support high-risk, high-reward projects.
foundation support to BU in FY25
proposals the Foundation Relations team helped faculty submit in FY25
“Meet the Funder” events organized by the Foundation Relations team over past four years
Numerous faculty members from across the University receive foundation support. Here are a few recent examples.
Ali Noorani cut his teeth as a nonprofit leader in Boston. Now he’s back to lead one of the dynamic foundations in the region. By Adrian Walker Globe Columnist,Updated December 10, 2025, When Ali Noorani left Boston in 2008 — after years as a high-profile activist, most notably on immigration issues — he didn’t think […]
The Pivot Fellowship is open to faculty in the natural sciences, mathematics, engineering, data science and computer science at academic institutions or equivalent positions elsewhere. Pivot fellows receive support to apply their skills and expertise to a new area of research. Fellows receive support for one year of mentored training in their new discipline. The fellowships […]
With the support of a Simons Foundation Pivot Fellowship, Wally Fulweiler is spending this school year studying data science and building a new tool that could greatly expand her research as an ecosystems ecologist and biogeochemist.
A new BU STH initiative seeks to give churches across the region a boost of hope by convening groups of ordained and lay leaders to share resources and feel more connected. The New Wineskins Network, funded with a $1 million grant from the Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow initiative, will create small groups of church leaders from […]
Kimberly Crespo, Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, has received the New Investigators Research Grants for her project "Learning While Sleeping: Statistical Word Learning and Consolidation in Children with and without Development Language Disorder". Jennifer Zuk, Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, has received the […]
Dr. Lyons will receive $100,000/year for up to two years for their project “Exploiting Weak Spot in How Viruses Operate to Combat Severe Respiratory Infections”. The program was designed to gain a better understanding of the pathobiology and the immediate and long-term implications of respiratory infections.
Dr. Raslan received the award for their project, “Targeting Lung Capillary Endothelial Cells to Halt the Progression of Lung Fibrosis.” The award provides $50,000/year for up to two years for mentored early career scientists ascending toward independence, this award provides seed monies to junior investigators for researching the mechanisms and biology of interstitial lung disease.
Liangliang Hao (ENG) wins for their project “Developing Innovative Early Detection Test for IPF" and Ignaty Leshchiner wins for their project, “Predicting When Lung Cancer Will Return.” The ALA Innovation Award provides $75,000/year for up to two years, and is geared toward independent investigators who are conducting basic science, behavioral, clinical or translational research in […]