Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation supports undergraduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and young faculty as they embark on careers in the fields of biology and chemistry.
IP TAKE: The Beckman Foundation wants to support the young scientists of today and develop tomorrow’s leaders in the field. Undergraduate students, doctoral candidates, or recent Ph.D.s in chemistry, biology, biochemistry or a related field may find Beckman a valuable resource. Educational nonprofits in Orange County, California, may also benefit from Beckman’s local funding. This is a reasonably accessible funder that accepts letters of intent for most of its funding programs. Awards are highly competitive, however, so read guidelines carefully before deciding which program(s) are relevant to your work.
PROFILE: The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation was founded in 1977 by Arnold Beckman, analytical chemist and Inventors Hall of Fame inductee, and his wife, Mabel. Based in Irvine, California, the foundation aims to “support leading edge research in the fields of chemistry and life sciences, broadly interpreted, and particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments and materials that open up new avenues of research and application in these sciences.” In 1990, the fund added to its mission an emphasis on “young researchers—those who don’t yet have the clout to receive the large Federal grants—with innovative and high risk research projects.” To these ends, the foundation runs several annual awards and fellowship programs supporting young researchers.
Grants for Science Research
The Beckman Postdoctoral Fellows Award program supports postdoctoral scholars “who are judged to have the highest potential for success in an independent academic career in chemistry and the life sciences” to assist in their “transition from graduate student to independent researcher.” Many recent awardees have hailed from the nation’s top-tier universities, though several recipients were scholars at lesser-known institutions. This fellowship has an open application, generally available from June to September each year.
Beckman’s Young Investigators Program supports scholars in the early stages of their academic careers who are working in “chemical and life sciences,” and have projects with the potential to “foster the invention of methods, instruments and materials that will open up new avenues of research in science.” Grant awards are for up to four years and may be as high as $750,000. Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent endorsed by their school chancellor and dean.
Mass Spectrometry for Atmospheric Monitoring awards aim to support “the development of new instrument designs to bring the most advanced mass spectrometry detection capabilities and sensitivity levels.” Grants are intended for research teams, which will receive support of $1 million over a three-year period. Priority is given to projects and organizations that involve undergraduate students in their research teams. Funding may support the purchase of materials, salaries and compensation for researchers and/or training and education for research team members.
The Beckman Speaker and Conference Support Fund supports the foundation’s current grantees with grants of up to $3,000 to be used for expenses related to “organizing or hosting a seminar or conference.”
Higher Education
The Beckman Scholars Program makes awards to institutions of higher education. Each year, the foundation selects a number of research universities and solicits applications from them to nominate one student conducting research in “chemistry, biochemistry, [or] the biological and medical sciences.” The partner institution then awards the funds to the winning student (the scholarships are not awarded by the foundation directly to individual students). Colleges and universities are selected based on a number of factors, including research support from the National Institutes of Health, research awards from the National Science Foundation, and grants and awards from other foundations.
The OC Beckman Legacy Award grants a prize of up to $16,000 to promising young scientists. Applicants will work with a mentor to create a project “inspired by the revolutionary tools of Dr. Arnold O. Beckman,” and then plan, conduct, and report on an experiment. The current theme of the prize is to build a spectrophotometer. Applicants may only come from high schools that have been invited by the foundation to participate.
K-12 and STEM Education
The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation supports a variety of programs aimed at elementary, middle, and high school students in Orange County, California, to encourage careers in science. It has funded groups and projects like Kids@Science, OC Science and Engineering Fair, Beckman Arts and Science Family Day, and the Irvine Public Schools Foundation.
Important Grant Details:
The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation made about $29 million in grants in a recent year. Grants may range from $100,000 to $1 million for multi-year periods. The foundation has no grants database, but does publicize previous winners of each award. Grantseekers should check the pages of each program to confirm whether the application is open or requires a nomination. The Beckman Foundation’s main awards are national in scope, but its community grantmaking for STEM education centers around Orange County, California. For information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s awarded scientists page or its news page.
This funder accepts letters of intent for most of its grants and awards, but eligibility, guidelines and due dates vary significantly by program. Researchers interested in the Young Investigator Award must submit a letter of intent (LOI) in order to be invited to apply. The Postdoctoral Fellowship has an online application, while applicants for the undergraduate scholarships must be nominated by their institution.
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