Grant Details

The W.M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954 in Los Angeles by William Myron Keck, founder of The Superior Oil Company. The W.M. Keck Foundation was founded with the goal of generating far-reaching benefits for humanity. Following the ideals of its founder, the Foundation supports outstanding science, engineering and medical research, undergraduate education; and, in Southern California, arts and culture, education, health and community service projects that will have a significant impact in solving complex issues and problems. The Foundation strives to fund endeavors that are distinctive and novel in their approach. It encourages projects that are high-risk with the potential for transformative impact. "High-risk" comprises a number of factors, including questions that push the edge of the field, present unconventional approaches to intractable problems, or challenge the prevailing paradigm. "Transformative" may mean creation of a new field of research, development of new instrumentation enabling observations not previously possible, or discovery of knowledge that challenges prevailing perspectives. The Foundation runs the following grant programs, as follows:

1. Science and Engineering and Medical Research: This program seeks to benefit humanity by supporting high-risk/high-impact projects that are distinctive and novel in their approach to intractable problems, push the edge of their field, or question the prevailing paradigm. Past grants have been awarded to major universities and independent research institutions to support pioneering science and engineering research and the development of promising new technologies, and to facilitate the purchase of advanced instruments where such instruments would further research ideas. Refer to criteria at http://www.wmkeck.org/fund/criteria_science.html.
2. Undergraduate Education Program (eligible states: Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, and Utah). The goals of the Undergraduate Education Program are to: (a) Foster new levels of student engagement and understanding, especially through active learning and collaborative curriculum development; (b) Expand interdisciplinary activities in balance with needs of each discipline; (c) Incorporate research activities into the curriculum and raise the bar of expectations regarding publications and presentations by undergraduates; (d) Enhance science and technology literacy for students in all disciplines; (d) Develop new ways to stimulate critical thinking and other core competencies of a liberal arts education. Applicants must demonstrate a compelling or unique resource to be competitive for Undergraduate Education grants. Refer to detailed criteria at http://www.wmkeck.org/fund/criteria_undergrad.html.
3. Southern California Program: The W.M. Keck Foundation's Southern California Program supports organizations based in the region that provide community resources in the following categories: (a) Arts and culture; (b) Civic and community services; (c) Early learning; (d) Health care; (e) Pre-collegiate education. In each category, the Foundation is interested in projects that promote the education and healthy development of children and youth, and also considers projects that address the special needs of people who are physically, mentally or emotionally challenged. Collaborative efforts are encouraged, with broad community support, as well as projects developed by the leaders of a single organization. Refer to program criteria at http://www.wmkeck.org/fund/criteria_socal.html.