News

The W. M. Keck Foundation has launched a new application portal for the Research Program’s Phase I application. Liaisons will need to create a new account before starting the application. Please see the Research Application Instructions page for more details.

In December, the Foundation’s Board of Directors awarded grants to five organizations in Southern California, totaling $2 million. Abstracts for these grants have been released. Congratulations to all our grantees this cycle!

In December, the Foundation’s Board of Directors awarded grants to ten Research institutions, totaling $12.3 million. Abstracts for these grants have been released. Congratulations to all our grantees this cycle!

We are saddened to report the passing of our Chairman, Robert Day, on September 14, 2023. Robert was proud to uphold the legacy of bold, creative grantmaking set forth by his grandfather, William Myron Keck.

Congratulations to Philip Zamore, PhD on being elected to the National Academy of Medicine!  Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.  He was elected based on his fundamental contributions to the understanding of RNAi, developing the first biochemical systems to study siRNAs, miRNAs, and their protein partners. His seminal discoveries explained how small RNAs are made and repress genes, transposons, and viruses. He has used these insights to develop novel RNA-based therapies for human diseases. 

Zamore was awarded a Keck Young Scholars grant in 2002 to investigate the molecular basis of the RNAi phenomenon and develop this knowledge into a potential therapy for human disease.  The Foundation is proud to have supported such an outstanding career.

Congratulations to Louis E. Brus, PhD, who was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry! Dr. Brus won the prize for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots and shares this year’s prize with Moungi G. Bawendi of MIT and Alexei I. Ekimov, of Nanocrystals Technology, Inc. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023 rewards the discovery and development of quantum dots, nanoparticles so tiny that their size determines their properties. These smallest components of nanotechnology now spread their light from televisions and LED lamps, and can also guide surgeons when they remove tumor tissue, among many other things.

In 2009, the W. M. Keck Foundation awarded a $750,000 grant to Columbia University Principal Investigator Brus to study an energy conversion process in nanoparticles to demonstrate its applicability for improved solar energy devices. The W. M. Keck Foundation is proud to have provided early funding for awardees of ten Nobel prizes.