Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation
The Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation is a private, non-operating corporate foundation established in December 1998 by Research Corporation Technologies (RCT). Based in Tucson, Arizona, the foundation provides financial support for scientific research and educational programs at qualified nonprofit organizations throughout the United States. The foundation is named after Frederick Gardner Cottrell, a university professor and inventor who championed the transfer of academic innovation to public use.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$70.0M
+70.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$9.6M
-20.1% YoY
Grant Count
39
-20.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$246K
+0.4% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's primary focus is research on solar energy technologies. Beyond solar energy, the foundation supports scientific research at universities and research institutions across multiple disciplines, as well as scientific and educational initiatives at qualified nonprofit organizations.
Grantmaking
The foundation does not accept unsolicited grant requests. All grants are made by invitation only.
Grant Range
$1,000 to $2.9 million
Average Grant
approximately $245,000
How to Apply
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation funds scientific research and educational programs throughout the United States, with a national geographic focus.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Giving (2023)
- Total assets: $40.99 million
- Total revenues: $7.51 million
- Total expenses: $7.23 million
- Total grants and contributions: $1.25 million
- Investment income and dividends: $5.32 million
Cumulative Impact Since its formation, the foundation has distributed over $50 million in support of selected scientific and educational programs throughout the United States.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $69,961,075 | $40,990,944 | $43,384,465 |
| Revenue | $38,224,453 | $7,508,215 | $9,396,382 |
| Expenses | $4,057,520 | $7,225,787 | $30,502,706 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $9,621,255 | $12,043,185 | $12,034,653 |
| Net Investment Income | $4,153,952 | $11,141,203 | $4,085,573 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,881,550 | $1,824,799 | $1,914,650 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
224 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers of the foundation include:
- Gary M. Munsinger (President)
- Rebecca E. Buescher (Secretary)
- Chris P. Martin (Treasurer)
- Directors: Christopher P. Martin, J. Lyle Bootman, John P. Schaefer, John W. McIntyre, and Shaun A. Kirkpatrick
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHRISTOPHER MARTIN | CHAIRMAN | 1 | — |
| JEFFREY JACOB | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| SHAUN KIRKPATRICK | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| JAMES MACK | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| THEODORE SAMUELS | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| MARK GILREATH | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation supports the Cottrell Scholars program through Research Corporation for Science Advancement, welcoming new classes of scholars in recent years. The foundation has also funded Scialog initiatives, including projects in chemistry and bioimaging research, with multiple team projects receiving awards in consecutive years of the program.
RCSA Welcomes 2024 Class of Cottrell ScholarsSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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