Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering will increase to more than $1 million per Fellow, expanding flexible support for bold, innovative research.

A funding opportunity for projects that will expand marketplace of ideas to identify and explore terms by which science operates in society.

Nancy Lindborg

The Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering gave Wyatt Shields the freedom to pursue tiny medical robots that could that could one day deliver treatments.

We invested $7.5M to support election integrity in 2026, helping officials defend against cyber, physical, and operational threats.

In periods of political uncertainty, innovation remains one of the few strategies that gets stronger, not weaker. New care models, tools, products, and technologies can continue moving forward—and build durable pathways that can outlast a particular policy environment. The reproductive health field confronted this reality in 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal … Continued

The ocean is a national asset. The US must treat ocean science investment as essential infrastructure, not a discretionary cost.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Bullock to its Board of Trustees.

Read The David and Lucile Packard Foundation’s impact report featuring key updates, data, takeaways, and stories from 2025.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the Packard Fellows Emergency Relief Fund, a $3.3 million rapid-response initiative created to support Packard Fellows affected by recent shifts in federal research funding.  Administered by the Science Philanthropy Alliance, the fund was created to preserve the postdoctoral workforce by providing short-term … Continued

The weeks before a baby arrives can be filled with one long checklist of questions for mothers and caregivers.  What doctors do I need to meet with?  When do those appointments need to be scheduled?   How do I find child care once the baby arrives? And how will I afford it?  What will I do if my housing becomes an issue? Or if my baby … Continued

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, leaders across local Planned Parenthood health clinics saw a crisis coming and needed a solution if they were to continue providing birth control to their patients. Contraceptives were getting more expensive every year, and they saw a future when Planned Parenthood clinics wouldn’t be able to afford to purchase them at a reasonable cost so they could provide them … Continued

MBARI scientists recently returned from a seven-day expedition in Antarctica exploring how groundwater and gases like methane are moving under the seafloor are impacted by a rapidly warming polar environment. Working aboard the Spanish polar research vessel Hespérides, the team focused on the Bransfield Basin in the northern Western Antarctic Peninsula, a region that is experiencing some of the fastest warming in the Southern Hemisphere. Their work was … Continued

Courtney Chandler joins the Packard Foundation as Chief Operating Officer, bringing deep operational expertise and a collaborative leadership style to advance the Foundation’s mission.

When Dr. Ryan Kelly says he can see whales in a bottle of water, he means it. At least, he can tell which whales and other species have passed through that water sample by sequencing the DNA inside. All living things shed tiny traces of DNA in their environments. Water, soil, and even air hold clues about which species have been present. Over the past decade, Kelly and his colleagues have helped bring these genetic traces … Continued

YouTube video by The Packard Foundation

Stable, affordable housing helps families put down roots in their communities. It also supports a strong local economy across Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties. To help California families find high-quality homes they can afford, the Packard Foundation is supporting the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) with a $450,000 grant to expand housing options … Continued

For a scratchy throat, feeling unwell is bad enough. The dreaded strep throat swab that follows is no fun either, especially for kids. Dr. Ashleigh Theberge’s lab at the University of Washington has invented a gentler alternative: a strawberry flavored lollipop with tiny spiral channels that siphon off saliva for testing. The idea is that … Continued

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has named the 2025 Packard Fellows for Science & Engineering. Fellows each receive $875,000 over five years for their research.