OVERVIEW: Genentech, a biotechnology company and member of the Roche Group, supports nonprofits through corporate charitable giving, independent medical education grants, local community giving and other philanthropic initiatives. Its current giving strategy centers on STEM Education & Careers, Equitable Care and Community Giving.
IP TAKE: Genentech is worth approaching for organizations working at the intersections of health equity, science and medical education, healthcare access and communities near company facilities. The important distinction for grantseekers is that the private Genentech Foundation is essentially a closed prospect and appears to be winding down, while Genentech’s corporate giving operation remains active and partially accessible. Corporate giving is invitation-led, but Genentech also considers a limited number of rolling submissions and periodically runs open RFPs. Organizations with a strong fit should therefore not assume that a prior relationship is always required.
The strongest prospects are likely to be organizations developing pathways into STEM and medical careers, advancing inclusive clinical research, improving access to high-quality care or addressing community needs near Genentech operations. Genentech’s past competitive Innovation Fund is particularly instructive: it supported universities, health systems, community-based nonprofits, workforce organizations and partnerships designed to address structural barriers in health and science. Local groups in South San Francisco also have a dedicated pathway through the annual Civic Fund.
Grantseekers should watch Genentech’s RFP page closely, since open opportunities are periodic and can provide an entry point for organizations without a prior Genentech relationship.
PROFILE: Genentech, a biotechnology company and member of the Roche Group, supports nonprofits through corporate charitable giving, independent medical education grants, local community giving and other philanthropic initiatives. Based in South San Francisco, California, Genentech is a biotechnology company known for developing and producing a broad range of drugs, including well-known products like Valium, Tamiflu, Naprosyn and Klonopin. In 2009, Genentech was acquired by the Swiss company Hoffman-La Roche but continues to operate independently of its corporate parent. Genentech’s philanthropy and corporate giving focus on STEM Education and Careers, Equitable Care, and Community Giving.
The Genentech Foundation, according to California regulatory law, is under dissolution.
Grants for STEM Education and Career Development
Genentech supports efforts across the education-to-career continuum designed to broaden access to careers in science and medicine.
- Current priorities include exposing elementary, middle and high school students to science and industry-aligned careers; providing financial and wraparound support to undergraduate and graduate students; and supporting models that recruit, retain and advance postdoctoral researchers. Genentech says this work may involve grants as well as partnerships, mentoring, training and other resources.
- Recent grantmaking suggests a particular interest in removing barriers for students and trainees historically underrepresented in science and medicine. Prior Innovation Fund grantees have included community colleges, universities, educational nonprofits and workforce-development organizations. In the 2023 Innovation Fund cohort, Genentech supported 16 STEM-related grantee partners, including 11 through the private Genentech Foundation.
- There is no separate standing application for this funding area. Prospective grantees should pursue funding through Genentech’s broader corporate giving process or a relevant RFP.
Grants for Health
Genentech’s Equitable Care strategy supports efforts to improve health outcomes and access to care. The company identifies three major areas of work: strengthening patient and community voice and participation in research, improving inclusive care delivery through community partnerships, and expanding access to information and high-quality care, including early diagnosis, education, support services, medicines and financial assistance.
- Genentech highlights grantees including TOUCH, Equify Health and Henry Ford Health as examples of organizations working on inclusive research and care. Past Innovation Fund grantmaking also points to interest in projects that address structural health inequities, build partnerships with affected communities and change institutional policies or practices rather than relying solely on individual behavior change.
- Organizations working on specialty-care access, clinical-trial inclusion, patient navigation, community-based healthcare delivery and healthcare-workforce equity appear especially relevant.
Genentech Innovation Fund
Genentech has periodically used its Innovation Fund to make larger competitive grants addressing inequities in science and healthcare. The most recently verified open iteration was the 2024 Genentech Health Equity Innovation Fund, which sought projects addressing racial and ethnic inequities in patient outcomes and healthcare workforce experiences in areas including neuroscience and brain health, oncology, ophthalmology and cardiovascular and metabolic disease. See the 2024 Health Equity Innovation Fund RFP.
- That round offered grants of up to $750,000, generally for projects lasting 18 months to three years. Genentech emphasized community-driven projects, systemic approaches, collaboration, demonstration projects and applied research and sought teams that meaningfully represented the communities affected by the work.
- The previous Innovation Fund cohort illustrates the scale and breadth of this grantmaking. Genentech announced $17 million for 31 grantee teams operating across 18 states, and 87% were first-time Genentech grantees. Recipients included AltaMed Health Services, Baylor College of Medicine, Chrysalis Initiative, Neighborhood Healthcare, Oregon Health & Science University Foundation, RUSH University Medical Center, ScholarMatch, Xavier University of Louisiana and several university foundations.
- The Innovation Fund should not be treated as a continuously open grant program. Genentech’s current RFP page does not list a 2026 Innovation Fund competition. Grantseekers interested in this opportunity should monitor the company’s RFP page for future rounds.
Grants for Community Development and Human Services
Genentech also funds community-based organizations in areas where it operates. Current interests include housing, food security and pathways into STEM and medical careers.
- For community-focused corporate grants, Genentech says it gives additional consideration to organizations and projects in South San Francisco, Vacaville and Oceanside, California, and Hillsboro and Portland, Oregon.
- Genentech also maintains partnerships and employee-engagement programs around several U.S. sites. Its broader Giving page identifies South San Francisco and Oceanside, California; Louisville, Kentucky; and Hillsboro and Portland, Oregon, as locations where employees participate in local school and community partnerships.
South San Francisco Civic Fund
The South San Francisco Civic Fund is an annual local grant opportunity supporting nonprofit programs and events that serve South San Francisco and strengthen the local community.
- The most recent application materials we could verify are from 2025, when Genentech accepted pre-applications for grants of $5,000 to $25,000 for work benefiting South San Francisco and, through a supplemental opportunity, other communities in San Mateo County. Eligible applicants included 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) nonprofits and government organizations.
- Because application terms can change from year to year, grantseekers should consult Genentech’s current giving site rather than relying on the 2025 grant range or deadline.
Other Grantmaking Opportunities
Independent Medical Education
Genentech has a substantial Independent Medical Education grant program supporting education for healthcare professionals. Eligible providers may include academic medical centers, community hospitals, professional societies and associations, and medical education and communications companies. Educational content, faculty selection and other program decisions must remain independent of Genentech.
- Genentech periodically publishes open IME RFPs tied to specific diseases and educational needs. Grantseekers should check the company’s current RFP page, since opportunities and deadlines change frequently.
Independent Co-pay Assistance Foundation Support
Genentech also makes charitable contributions to independent foundations that provide patients with assistance covering medication copayments. This is a specialized funding channel rather than a general healthcare-access grant program. Applicants must meet Genentech’s eligibility requirements, including appropriate nonprofit status and applicable federal compliance requirements.
Futurelab and Futurelab+
Futurelab and Futurelab+ are signature Genentech STEM initiatives rather than general open grant programs. Futurelab works with the South San Francisco Unified School District to provide science education and career exposure, while Futurelab+ extends biotechnology education resources more broadly. These programs demonstrate Genentech’s long-term interest in STEM pathways but should not be treated as standing outside grant opportunities.
Genentech also operates employee matching and volunteer programs. It currently matches employee charitable donations up to $2,000 annually and contributes $10 for each employee volunteer hour, up to $300 annually. Its Genentech Gives Back program supported more than 100 organizations in 2025, and Genentech reports $659,000 in contributions to local organizations through its 2026 program. These are useful relationship-building indicators but are not conventional open institutional grant programs.
Important Grant Details:
There is no useful single grant range across Genentech’s giving operation. Grant size varies substantially by funding mechanism. Recent examples include $5,000 to $25,000 through the 2025 Civic Fund, awards of up to $750,000 through the 2024 Health Equity Innovation Fund, and varying award limits through individual medical education RFPs. Organizations should rely on the guidelines for the specific opportunity they are pursuing.
- Requests generally must be submitted at least 60 days before the proposed project, program or event begins. Genentech does not fund political or sectarian organizations, capital campaigns or capital infrastructure projects, religious purposes, product promotion or projects designed to influence formulary decisions, among other restrictions.
- Genentech corporate giving is not strictly invitation-only. The company says it invites organizations to seek support throughout the year but also reviews and awards a targeted number of rolling submissions that fit its strategic priorities. It separately issues competitive RFPs for specific objectives. Review Genentech’s application process.
- Direct general inquiries to Genentech’s corporate giving program via an online form.
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