Eppley Foundation for Research
/OVERVIEW: The Eppley Foundation for Research supports the research of established Ph.Ds and MDs in the areas of applied science, chemistry, physics and biology.
IP TAKE: Eppley prefers to support novel research for which funding is not available from other sources. This funder accepts letters of inquiry and reviews them in June and December each year. Note that the foundation does not support research in the social sciences, education or computer science. It also does not fund work that can qualify for funding from conventional sources such as the National Science Foundation or the National Institutes of Health, or similar agencies at the state level.
It is important to Eppley that the work it supports takes an innovative approach and is “unlikely to be underway elsewhere.” The foundation is admittedly open to risk taking. This foundation funds individuals and partially funds projects on a smaller scale. If you need large grants to support your science research, this is not the place. It’s not a fully transparent funder, but it is accessible and you can apply for its grants online.
PROFILE: Based in New York City, the Eppley Foundation for Research was established in 1947 by the physicist and chemist Captain Marion Eppley and makes about $460,000 in grants a year. It is a small family foundation that aims to “increas(e) […] knowledge in pure or applied science . . . in chemistry, physics and biology through study, research and publication.” It funds novel research in applied science, chemistry, physics and biology. It funds some work related to climate change and disease research.
Grants for Science Research and Climate Change
The Eppley Foundation does not name specific funding initiatives beyond the disciplines of applied science, chemistry, physics and biology. Recent areas of interest, however, include “innovative medical investigations, climate change, whole ecosystem studies, as well as research on single species if they are of particular significance in their environments, in the U.S. and abroad.” It does not name grantmaking strategies, preferring a broad approach, which enables the foundation to fund work on an individual basis.
Grants for Diseases
Eppley does not have a program dedicated to diseases and rarely conducts grants in this space; however, it does on occasion fund research into “diseases that have considerable financial support available, such as AIDS, diabetes, cancer and heart disease.” Particular areas of interest include innovative medical investigations.
Important Grant Details:
Eppley grants tend to be modest in size, ranging from $10,000 to $30,000. Past grantees include the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, James Madison University and the New York Botanical Garden, which used funding to study fern genomics. Recent past grants are posted on the Eppley’s website.
The foundation accepts letters of inquiry from MDs and Ph.Ds “with an established record of publication in their specialty” and reviews inquiries in December and June of each year. LOI guidelines are available at the foundation’s website. LOIs must be written in layman’s terms, and received by September 15th or March 15th. For invited proposals, due on October 15 or April 15, there is “no page limit, but the proposal — as the LOI — is expected to be concise and incorporate clear statements of significance, objectives, novelty, methods, expectations of success, and why the researcher believes the work cannot reasonably expect federal support, or support from other conventional funding sources. There should also be a discussion of the broader ramifications of your work once it is completed.” The foundation also requires two reference letters from fellow scientists, a budget, cv for each investigator, and an application form to accompany grant proposals. If invited to send a full proposal, send two complete printed copies to the address below and an e-mail copy to eppleyfoundation@gmail.com. Attach proposal as a PDFs. Put your last name and a key word from your proposal title in the subject line of your email, and be sure to include the full title of your proposal in the body of the email.
PEOPLE:
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