Amgen Foundation
/OVERVIEW: Amgen Foundation primarily makes grants in two areas—science education, and community improvement in places where the company operates. The foundation’s science education program splits its giving between teacher development and providing students with hands-on learning experiences. It also does limited grantmaking for disaster relief and social justice reform, particularly in the science education space.
IP TAKE: Amgen gives both multi-million dollar grants for large, ongoing initiatives and modest grants to more limited programs. Organizations in communities where Amgen operates have an advantage. The foundation accepts LOI’s year-round but makes grants by invitation only.
Aside from introducing themselves by submitting an LOI and hoping for the best, new grantseekers may see some success by reaching out to current Amgen employees about the foundation’s Global Disaster Relief Matching Gifts Program, in which the foundation matches employee donations.
PROFILE: Created in 1991, the Amgen Foundation is the philanthropic branch of Amgen, one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies. The foundation “seeks to advance excellence in science education to inspire the next generation of innovators and invest in strengthening communities where Amgen staff members live and work.” The Amgen Foundation’s grantmaking prioritizes two distinct areas: STEM education and community development in location where the company has a presence. It also makes fewer grants for disaster relief and racial justice causes.
Grants for STEM Education
Amgen’s support for STEM education programs is different from its Community Grants, which support local organizations in communities where Amgen is located.
The foundation’s Science Education programs for students seeks to give students and teachers resources to encourage young people to pursue science careers. The foundation states that it gives “2,000,000 Students Hands-on Experiences in Science.” The first of these, the Amgen Biotech Experience, collaborates with “leadership from university and other partners” to give “teacher professional development, teaching materials, and research-grade lab equipment to high schools” in the U.S. and Great Britain. Next is the Amgen Scholars program, which offers “cutting-edge research experiences and exposure to biotechnology and drug discovery” to undergraduate students at select universities in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. The Amgen BioTalents is limited to Puerto Rico and offers training and exposure to the biomanufacturing process, industrial legal and safety standards, and management and leadership development. Finally, Amgen partnered with Khan Academy to help “increase access to biology resources for students and teachers.”
Amgen also offers several programs for teachers. In addition to the Biotech Experience and Khan Academy collaborations described above, the foundation also offers teacher support through LabXchange, which “is a free, online platform for science learning that provides middle school, high school and university level teachers and students with access to personalized instruction, virtual lab experiences and networking opportunities across the global scientific community.” Another of the foundation’s signature programs is a multi-million, multi-year commitment to Teach for America to send recent college graduates in science and math to teach in rural and urban schools.
Grants for Community Development
Amgen’s Community Grants are made to support the communities where employees live and work. These support “nonprofit organizations that are making a lasting and meaningful impact” and address “an unmet need, reaching underserved communities and programming that is helping build the capacity of local organizations.” Funding priorities for these grants are limited to teacher quality and professional development in science, and pivotal hands-on science experience. Grantseekers can read more about these funding priorities and the communities they support here.
Past grantees include Colorado Bioscience Institute, United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, and Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, Inc.
Grants for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief
The Amgen Foundation also supports grantmaking for humanitarian and disaster relief. It provides “funding to support those affected by natural disasters, global disease outbreaks and humanitarian emergencies” by “working with trusted, international partners, including Direct Relief International, International Medical Corps and Project Hope.” Many of these grants are conducted in conjunction with Amgen’s Global Disaster Relief Matching Gifts Program, which enables Amgen employees to receive matched funding from the Amgen Foundation.
Grants for Racial Justice and Indigenous Rights
Amgen ramped up its Social Justice grantmaking following the nationwide protests in response to the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Its focus here centers on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in science education. However, the foundation’s broader goals include “driving community change, advancing social justice and addressing inequity in science education.”
Important Grant Details:
Grant amounts start at $10,000 but can range into the multi-millions. Grantseekers should look at the foundation’s grants report to get a better sense of Amgen’s funding priorities. Also, new grantseekers should know that applications are accepted by invitation only, but it does accept Letters of Inquiry. The foundation reviews LOIs quarterly, which must be submitted online.
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