The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation

05/01/2021

We are deeply saddened to share that Eli Broad died earlier today. We find some comfort in knowing that his generosity and dedication will continue to be an inspiration for anyone who encounters his story, or benefits from any of the art museums, theaters, educational institutions, or medical research initiatives that have received support from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation over the past 50 plus years.

“As a businessman Eli saw around corners, as a philanthropist he saw the problems in the world and tried to fix them, as a citizen he saw the possibility in our shared community, and as a husband, father and friend he saw the potential in each of us,” said Gerun Riley, president of The Broad Foundation.

We encourage you to learn more about his life as a businessman and philanthropist here:

Eli Broad, the first entrepreneur to found two companies in two different industries and build them into Fortune 500 powerhouses, provided first homes to hundreds of thousands of families and secure retirements to millions of Americans throughout his five-decade business career. His most significant...

04/22/2021

A message from Gerun Riley, President of The Broad Foundation:

Yesterday we took a small step toward accountability with the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.

While we may feel some sense of relief that the jury came to the right conclusion, one verdict does not erase grief and one verdict does not signal systemic change. There is much work to do, and we must commit to being positive agents for change.

As attorney Jerry Blackwell said: while some believe George Floyd died from an enlarged heart, the truth is he died because Mr. Chauvin’s heart was too small. Let us all continue to find room in our big hearts to embrace our family, friends and colleagues who regularly experience pain, blame, trauma and fear. And let us be allies in moving our community forward so my husband and daughters, your brother, son, cousin, niece, neighbor, partner, roommate and fellow human can walk through the world with dignity and opportunity.

03/25/2021

We are pleased to share that Broad Institute today launched the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center (EWSC) which will connect biology and machine learning, creating a new field of interdisciplinary research aimed at improving human health. The EWSC is supported by a $150 million unrestricted endowment gift from Eric and Wendy Schmidt. In celebration of the Schmidts’ gift and in further support of the Broad Institute’s general endowment, The Broad Foundation made an additional $150 million contribution.

Two recent revolutions inspired the creation of the EWSC: the exponential growth and widespread adaptation of data technologies like machine learning and cloud computing, and the dramatic advances in generating massive amounts of data about living systems through next-generation DNA sequencing, single cell genomics, and advanced medical imaging. Until now, these fields have largely developed in parallel. Their convergence creates a new era of biology, one that will yield a deep understanding of biological processes, with the ultimate aim of improving human health through more powerful disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center brings together a global network of scientists from academia and industry to promote interdisciplinary research between the data and life sciences.

This effort has brought so many partners together who will all be critical to its success. We thank everyone who is working so hard to make the world a better place.

http://ow.ly/ozSN50E8ses

12/03/2020

Tis the season for in Los Angeles! We partnered with 26 organizations, LAUSD, Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles, and Mayor Garcetti to offer students courses like oceans, space exploration, paleontology, robotics, and environmental sustainability to name a few. The Broad Foundation is proud to be a part of this community. Learn more on our website:

L.A. Area STEM Organizations Join Mayor Garcetti’s Task Force to Offer Free STEM Education Courses to LA-Area Youth Los Angeles, CA – Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Task Force on Out-of-School Enrichment Time today announced a city-wide partnership, with the support of the Broad Foundation, bringing to...

11/19/2020

We could not be more proud of the work that The Broad Institute is doing to keep so many students on campus in New England by conducting testing for more than 100 colleges and universities. If you ever wondered how one lab can process more than 100,000 tests per day, this video walks you through every incredible detail.

VIDEO TOUR: COVID-19 Testing at the Broad Clinical Research Sequencing Platform In mid-March, Broad converted part of our CLIA-certified lab into a high-thro...

06/03/2020

The horrific and senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery among others, are yet another painful reminder of the systemic racism and pervasive violence Black Americans face every day as they fend off presumptions of danger and guilt. We can wring our hands and wonder, “What will it take to make people see, to make this end, to make things different, to make it better?” Or, as Ghandi once said, we can be the change we wish to see.

We must support the protesters bravely expressing the anger, despair and grief so many of us feel. We must commit to digging deeper and sitting in the discomfort of hard, overdue conversations about our country’s history of racial inequality and the ways it haunts our Black and Brown brothers and sisters. We must demand better of our leaders. We must fight for justice and equality so communities of color are no longer disproportionately impacted by pandemics, or gun violence, or exposure to polluted air and water, or unequal access to healthcare and education, or the deep-rooted biases so prevalent in our society. And we must do this work together.

We don’t have the answers and we know we have work to do if we want to play a positive role in bringing the change we want to see. The Broad Foundation is committed to help re-imagining Los Angeles as it recovers from the current crises by listening to, learning from, partnering with and building on the work of others who share our commitment to making our city better, especially for communities of color.

05/21/2020

Despite the extreme uncertainty of today, there are some things we do know: Recovering from this pandemic will be long and hard, and this is just the beginning. Grantmaking alone won’t solve anything, but those of us in a position to help have a responsibility to step up.

So while we will continue to assess immediate unfilled needs and invest in organizations on the frontlines helping to address those needs, we plan to spend even more time preparing for the recovery ahead. No one organization—philanthropy, government, business or academia—will be able to solve these challenges alone. So we are listening, learning, engaging and partnering with policy experts, community stakeholders and civic leaders who are interested not just in rebuilding what we have lost, but in adapting and remaking our city into an even better place to live.

Grantmaking Update from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation The COVID-19 crisis requires all hands on deck to meet the challenge of our time. In the spirit of collective action and an unwavering belief in what we can achieve together, The Broad Foundation is reevaluating its grantmaking to help sust...

02/06/2020

Pardis Sebeti of on genomics and Coronavirus: This epidemic not only underscores the need to increase our investment in genomics, diagnostics and IT, but also the importance of incorporating them into our routine health practices.

For Ebola and SARS too much time passed: the viruses mutated and became potentially more dangerous

01/27/2020

We are proud that our founders, Eli and Edye Broad, are among the "biggest givers" from 2014 - 2018 : Forbes counted dollars that actually reached our grantees in the arts, education, and medical research.

As billionaires flock to Davos to discuss issues like wealth inequality, Forbes looks at the top American philanthropists of the past five years.

12/24/2019

Congrats to The Broad for making Los Angeles Times favorite 100 pop culture moments of the past 20 years! "... and free admission all contributed to an average visitor age of just 32, which is 14 years younger than the national average for art museums"

The Millennium 100: Britney shaves her head and kills teen pop is No. 9. Cucomania is No. 86. 'Spicey' Melissa McCarthy is No. 21. Did your favorite make the list?

12/19/2019

We're pleased to welcome Peggy Hsieh to the team as Director of Finance! http://ow.ly/a28O50xEHPM

12/17/2019

Exciting announcement from regarding a new tool that will help researchers design better cancer vaccines.

A computational model could improve the selection of tumor antigens for personalized cancer vaccines that are now in early-stage clinical trials.