Stavros Niarchos Foundation Gives $205 Million To Three U.S. Universities, Institutes For Health Initiatives

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) is donating a total of $205 million to Rockefeller University, Columbia University and the New-York-based Child Mind Institute. The gifts are part of SNF’s $700 million-plus Health Initiative, a philantrhopic effort that began in 2017.

The Rockefeller University

The Rockefeller University received $75 million from SNF to establish the SNF Institute for Infectious Disease Research. The new center will feature international scientific collaborations involving both basic and translational research, under the leadership of Nobel laureate Charles Rice, Chair of New York State’s COVID-19 Clinical Advisory Task Force.

“We are deeply grateful to SNF for its extraordinary generosity in establishing the visionary SNF Institute for Global Infectious Disease Research at Rockefeller,” said Rockefeller University President Richard Lifton in the foundation’s news release. “The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical need for investment in infectious disease research to understand the biology of pathogens and their interactions with host species to enable development of broadly effective and durable vaccines and therapeutics. The SNF Institute will accelerate research innovation and provide scientific education and public awareness to the global community. SNF’s response to the pandemic set the standard for humanitarian action in the face of a crisis, and is uniquely suited to partner with Rockefeller in making this vision for global disease research a reality.”

Columbia University

Columbia University will also receive $75 million, which it will use to establish the SNF Center for Precision Psychiatry and Mental Health. The center will focus on the use of precision medicine – specifically genomics – in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of psychiatric disorders.

“The insights provided by genomics and precision medicine are proving of tremendous value in improving people’s health and lives,” said Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger. “Through this new center, our researchers can meet an urgent human need by harnessing precision medicine to promote mental health for all. We are enormously grateful to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation for joining with Columbia in meeting this profound scientific and humanitarian challenge.”

The Child Mind Institute

The third gift is for $55 million and is being given to the Child Mind Institute to form the SNF Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. The Center will concentrate on expanding access to mental health care for children and adolescents worldwide, combatting what SNF called “three of the greatest barriers that prevent young people around the world from receiving effective mental health care: lack of access to information, insufficient quality of care, and stigma.”

“The children’s mental health crisis is the defining public health challenge of the next generation,” said Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, founding president and medical director of the Child Mind Institute. “And the crisis is a global one, which disproportionally impacts marginalized children and families everywhere. The Child Mind Institute is incredibly grateful for the generosity and vision of SNF as we work together to reduce stigma, improve access to care, and transform mental health care for children no matter where they are.”

Each of the grantees has received SNF support in the past. SNF was one of the original donors when the Child Mind Institute opened in 2009. It was a major donor to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation – David Rockefeller River Campus at Rockefeller University. And NSF has been a long-term supporter of public outreach programs at Columbia’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute.

About the Stavros Niarchos Foundation

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation was founded by Greek billionaire and shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos, who dedicated a significant part of his estate to it. It began making grants in 1996 and has grown into one of the world’s leading international philanthropic organizations. SNF makes grants to nonprofit organizations in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and sports, and social welfare.

Since its beginning, the Foundation has awarded over 5,000 grants involving commitments of more than $3.2 billion in more than 135 different countries.