The mission of The G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation is to advance knowledge in the life sciences by sponsoring scientific research that will benefit mankind. The foundation’s grants program seeks to support basic science, ideally with potential translational applications. Immunology, microbiome, genomics, structural biology, cellular physiology, neuroscience, etc., are some noteworthy examples of current research support. PSU may submit up to four letters of intent for each cycle. It is the Foundation's expectation that trusted partners will conduct an internal search for LOIs that are consistent with our mission and guidelines.
For many years the Foundation has enjoyed special recognition in the research community in supporting “basic” scientific research, realizing that true transformative breakthroughs usually occur after a thorough understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying natural phenomena. More recently, and with the advent of newer investigative methodologies, technology, and tools, the Foundation now embraces innovative translational research proposals.
Award information
- The grant duration must be three years
- Grant budgets should be no more than $600-700K (including indirect expenses) over three years. The budget should be reasonable based on the aims of the project. Indirect costs may not exceed 10%.
- Preliminary Budgets are required during the LOI phase and should include an estimate of the major costs for compensation, supplies, etc.. A detailed budget justification is not required until the proposal phase. For guidance on an appropriate budget, please contact Maria Petrilak, Assistant Director, Foundation Relations
- The Foundation’s grant award is not intended to be utilized for purchasing capital equipment (“bricks-and-mortar”) for the lab and is intended only to support the actual investigation. The Foundation assumes and expects that capital equipment must be provided by the research institution or university.
- The Foundation's expectation is that an investigation will be completed within the requested duration of the grant (up to 3 years). A no-cost extension may be requested if the investigation has not been completed and there are still funds available. If at the end of the grant term, the aims of the project have not been met, an explanation should be provided to the Foundation. (The primary investigator is urged to consider a proposed modification of the project’s original aims to prevent such a situation from occurring.)
Application Guidance
- The Foundation primarily supports basic science, ideally with potential translational applications.
- Examples of current research areas we support include immunology, microbiome, structural biology, cellular physiology, cancer biology, genetics, genomics, microbiology and infectious diseases, stem cell biology, and neuroscience.
- Research areas we will not consider for support include Covid-19 related research projects (aims or sub-aims), Plant Biology Research, Oceanography, Space Exploration. and Global Warming related research. In addition, medical imaging technology related projects and/or electrical engineering technology development projects will not be considered for support.
- The Foundation does not support research conducted in human subjects and will not fund requests for clinical trials or drug discovery. The Foundation will not support research projects which we consider pre-clinical drug development.
- Renewal applications for the same or related research will not be accorded priority consideration. It is strongly advised that any re-application for grant renewal consider a new direction based on prior research or emphasize some new potential translational aspects and not merely an extension of previously funded research.
- Requests for funding previously federally supported research and/or applications pending federal approval will not be accorded priority consideration.
- In general, the Mathers Foundation reviewers look for innovative, novel proposals, which have scientific merit with an established published proof of concept, and which may not be fundable at the federal level.
- Currently, we do not offer advice about proposed project ideas or screen LOIs before they are submitted. The Mathers Board believes that the information on the website provides sufficient guidance for a wide variety of research projects that could be considered for support.
- Collaborative projects with researchers at universities/institutions outside the United States will not be considered, even if the PI is based at an approved US university/institution.
Mathers Application Process:
- Institutional nomination by the development/foundation relations office is a requirement for each LOI. The University/Institutional Development or Grants Office must submit an email with the (up to) three applications that they are submitting each cycle to grants@mathersfoundation.org two weeks prior to the LOI due date for that cycle.
- The development officer’s name should be included on all applications (LOI’s)- as the Secondary Contact. The PI is the Primary Contact. The Grant Contract office is the Primary Signatory and becomes important when the LOI is invited to submit a formal proposal and is approved for a grant award.
- In 2024, the Mathers Foundation is changing cycle frequency for grant applications- moving from 3 cycles of reviews/year to 2/cycles/year (Spring, Fall).
Please plan to connect with staff from the Office of Foundation Relations, who will consult on proposal narrative elements, answer foundation-related questions, and assist the down-select nominee[s] with their submission. Applicants please contact Maria Petrilak, Assistant Director, Foundation Relations at mep6096@psu.edu for additional support.
Interested applicants should upload the following documents in sequence in one PDF file (File name: Last name_Mathers_Fall2024.pdf) no later than 4:00 p.m. on the internal submission deadline:
1. Cover Page (1 page, pdf):
- Descriptive title of proposed activity
- PI name, departmental affiliations(s) and contact information
- Co-PI's names and departmental affiliation(s)
- Names of other key personnel
- Participating institution(s)
- Number and title of this funding opportunity
2. Project Summary (no more than 7000 characters including spaces, pdf) to include a short summary of the proposed research project. References can be appended on additional page[s].
3. Preliminary Estimated Budget (1 page max.) - Please provide a preliminary budget figure, which should include any indirect/overhead expenses (up to 10% of direct expenses). A detailed budget justification is not required until the proposal phase.
4. Aims of Project (no more than 2000 characters with spaces, pdf)
5. Proof of concept, previous or related work (no more than 2000 characters with spaces, pdf)
6. Brief summary of your most impactful discoveries and/or best publications (no more than 2500 characters with spaces, pdf) - Please provide a brief summary of your most impactful discoveries and/or best publications. The discoveries and papers discussed in this section do not necessarily have to be related to the subject matter of this application.)
7. CV's of Investigators (not to exceed 5 pages)
Formatting Guidelines:
Font/size: No smaller than 11 pt.
Document margins: 1.0” (top, bottom, left and right)
Standard paper size (8 ½” x 11)