North Carolina Biotechnology Center
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is a public charity based in Durham, North Carolina, formed in 1984. It supports life sciences research, technology development, and company growth in North Carolina through grants, loans, and other services.
North Carolina Biotechnology Center at a glance
In short: North Carolina Biotechnology Center gave $3.0M across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $127K), mostly in North Carolina. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,036,426
- -27.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- -41.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $126,518
- +23.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,448
- Total assets
- $42,239,901
- -4.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (6 of 22, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (77% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to North Carolina Biotechnology Center
- How to Apply
-
For the Translational Research Grant, the principal investigator must register for an account in the Center’s funding portal before submitting a proposal by the deadline. Applicants should consult the current program guidelines and application instructions. The listed university research programs are for North Carolina universities and nonprofit research institutions; the Translational Research Grant page specifies researchers employed by North Carolina-based universities or nonprofit research institutes.
- Contact
Mailing address: 15 Tw Alexander Drive, Durham, NC 27713
Phone: (919) 541-9366
Website: https://ncbiotech.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from North Carolina Biotechnology Center
Event Grants
North Carolina Biotechnology Center
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
NC Biotechnology Center Fund Event and Meeting Grant
North Carolina Biotechnology Center
Amount
Up to US $10,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
University Technology Development Funding: Flash Grant
North Carolina Biotechnology Center
Amount
Up to US $37,500
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who North Carolina Biotechnology Center funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was UNC-Chapel Hill ($711K). Together the top 10 received $2.7M.
Organizations only. It also paid 3 individual scholarships ($90,662), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
120 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 62 grants of 120 (52%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Center’s university research programs are for North Carolina universities and nonprofit research institutions. In its 2025 filing, 77% of grant dollars went to recipients in North Carolina and 23% to recipients in Georgia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
Cities
Is North Carolina Biotechnology Center open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 22 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $16K; repeat grants $184K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $76K repeat.
- 64% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+5%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $2.2M (2023) to $4.2M (2024). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $3.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| UNC-Chapel Hill Atlanta, GA | Research | $711,065 |
| North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC | Research | $486,254 |
| Duke University Charlotte, NC | Research | $451,043 |
| UNC-Wilmington Wilmington, NC | Research | $311,144 |
| Wake Forest University Health Winston-Salem, NC | Research | $293,627 |
| UNC-Charlotte Charlotte, NC | Research | $185,280 |
| Wilson Economic Development Council Wilson, NC | Research | $100,000 |
| East Carolina University Greensboro, NC | Research | $61,697 |
| UNC-Asheville Asheville, NC | Research | $57,632 |
| High Point University High Point, NC | Research | $54,522 |
Ready to take the next step with North Carolina Biotechnology Center?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $42,239,901 | $21,049,562 | $22,423,173 | $3,036,426 | 24 | $453,692 |
| 2024 | $44,048,241 | $23,117,302 | $24,027,592 | $4,207,651 | 41 | $254,168 |
| 2023 | $44,128,955 | $21,886,317 | $18,520,073 | $2,174,184 | 16 | $1,096,636 |
| 2022 | $40,603,397 | $19,911,762 | $16,365,269 | $2,900,672 | 20 | $148,054 |
| 2021 | $36,440,488 | $16,619,048 | $16,539,413 | $3,587,715 | 19 | $872,371 |
| 2020 | $36,713,001 | $15,606,451 | $18,189,767 | $3,477,460 | 14 | $334,282 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Center’s stated mission is to aid biotechnology-related efforts by researchers, businesses, governments, and other agencies, primarily through program-related grants, loans, and services to grow or advance the industry in North Carolina.
Its stated program areas include research and technology development, emerging company development, and economic and sector development. Research funding supports North Carolina universities, colleges, and nonprofit research institutions. The Center’s Translational Research Grant program, for example, supports university-held life sciences inventions with commercial potential, including work to generate product-development data and support technology licensing.
The 2025 grantee list includes universities, colleges, and research organizations. The grantees’ own descriptions show a range of activities: An individual recipient Community College Foundation says it provides financial assistance to students and supports college programs; an individual recipient Community College says its foundation supports scholarships, grants, and capital items for education; and Wake Forest University Health Sciences describes itself as part of an academic medical center and learning health system.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Center reported 24 grants totaling $3,036,426. Awards ranged from $5,065 to $711,065, with a median of $50,448.
Among the largest reported grants were $711,065 to UNC-Chapel Hill for research, $486,254 to North Carolina State University for research, $451,043 to Duke University for research, and $311,144 to UNC-Wilmington for research. Other recipients included Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which received $293,627 for research, and an individual recipient Community College, which received $50,896 for scholarships.
The Center’s website describes Company Funding as providing $150,000 to $650,000 to North Carolina life sciences companies and lists university research programs including the Innovation Impact Grant, Translational Research Grant, and Flash Grant. The listed FY27 deadlines are September 30, 2026, for the Innovation Impact Grant; August 5, 2026, and January 27, 2027, for the Translational Research Grant; and July 15, 2026, October 21, 2026, and March 10, 2027, for the Flash Grant. As of October 2, 2026, the September 30 and July 15 deadlines have passed, as has the August 5 Translational Research Grant deadline.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Meredith Friga as chair and James Datin as vice chair and treasurer. Other listed officers and directors are Rebecca Alexander, Peyton Anderson, John Anthony Atala, John Atkins III, Michelle Berrey, Santo Costa, Doug Edgeton, and Neal Fowler.
North Carolina Biotechnology Center is led by Meredith Friga, Chair since 2025 (on filings since 2020); 9 of 48 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Meredith Friga
Chair
Treasurer → Vice Chair & Treasurer, 2021
Vice Chair & Treasurer → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Adam Monroe
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Arthur Pappas
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ben Teague
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Benjamin Yerxa
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bhaskar Venepalli
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brad Wilson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dan Janies
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Anthony Atala
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Atkins III
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Rabby
Director
Chairman → Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joy Parr Drach
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karen Levert
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Tanner
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michelle Berrey
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Neal Fowler
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rebecca Alexander
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Santo Costa
Director
Vice Chairman → Chair, 2021
Chair → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steve Lommel
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steve Troxler
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Undi Hoffler
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
William Hawkins III
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kelly Fuller
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Machelle Baker Sanders
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Walker
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Lodge
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Penny Gordon-Larsen
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sharon Paynter
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sheila Mikhail
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Aswani Volety
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Loyack
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michelle Grainger
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michelle Logan
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shaylah Nunn Jones
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tim Minor
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Somnath Mukhopadhyay
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Doug Edgeton
Assistant Secretary
Assistant Secretary → President, CEO & Assistant Bod Secretary, 2024
President, CEO & Assistant Bod Secretary → Assistant Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$305K (2020) → $356K (2025)
Mark Phillips
Vice President & Statewide Operations
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$138K (2020) → $170K (2025)
Mary Beth Thomas
Senior Vice President, Science & Business
Senior Vice President, Science & Bus. Development → Senior Vice President, Science & Business Development, 2022
Senior Vice President, Science & Business Development → Senior Vice President, Science & Business, 2025
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$170K (2020) → $207K (2025)
Robert Lindberg
Vice President, Science & Techonolgy Development
Vice President, Science & Techonolgy Development → Vice President, Science & Tech Development, 2024
Vice President, Science & Tech Development → Vice President, Science & Techonolgy Development, 2025
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$136K (2020) → $169K (2025)
William Bullock
Senior Vice President & Statewide Operations
Senior Vice President, Statewide Operations & Economic Development → Senior Vice President, Econ & Statewide Development, 2024
Senior Vice President, Econ & Statewide Development → Senior Vice President & Statewide Operations, 2025
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$178K (2020) → $207K (2025)
James Bullock
Vice President Finance & Assistant Treasurer
Vice President Finance & Assistant Treasurer for Bod → Vice President Finance & Assistant Bod Treasurer, 2024
Vice President Finance & Assistant Bod Treasurer → Vice President Finance & Assistant Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$64K (2023) → $161K (2025)
Mary Heckt-Kissell
Vice President & Corporate Communications
Vice President & Corp Committee → Vice President & Corporate Communications, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$137K (2023) → $161K (2025)
Joseph Henderson
Vice President, Talent & Culture Development
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$151K (2024) → $161K (2025)
Laura Rowley
Vice President & Life Science Econ Development
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$152K (2024) → $161K (2025)
James Datin
Vice Chair & Treasurer
Director → Vice Chair & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Merrill Mason
Secretary
Secretary → Director, 2023
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Peyton Anderson
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2021
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (22)
- Former: Frank Grainger (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: George Briggs (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Jose Sartarelli (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Mark Stohlman (2020–2023) — Vice President Finance & Assistant Treasurer for Bod · Filing note: Term ended 22023
- Former: Mary Klotman (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Moise Khayrallah (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Susie Corbett (2020–2023) — Vice President & It Lsi
- Former: Hernan Navarro (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Thomas Stith (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Vivian Doelling (2022–2023) — Vice President & Ecd
- Former: Robin Deacle (2020–2022) — Vice President & Corp Committee
- Former: Douglas L. Edgeton (2022) — President, CEO & Assistant Secretary
- Former: Kimberly Van Noort (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Mike Van Scott (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Terry Magnuson (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Kelly Gangl (2021) — Vice President & Tacd
- Former: Sandy Williams (2021) — Director
- Former: Brent Harphan (2020) — Director
- Former: Joshua Price (2020) — Director
- Former: Lawrence Carin (2020) — Director
- Former: Scott Johnson (2020) — Vice President & Ag. Sector Development
- Former: Tony Copeland (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $356K, to Doug Edgeton (Assistant Secretary). 9 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about North Carolina Biotechnology Center
How much does North Carolina Biotechnology Center give each year?
North Carolina Biotechnology Center gave $3.0M across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $4.2M across 41 grants.
What is North Carolina Biotechnology Center's typical grant size?
North Carolina Biotechnology Center's median grant in 2025 was $50,448, and its average grant was $126,518, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from North Carolina Biotechnology Center that year got $16K on average.
Where does North Carolina Biotechnology Center give grants?
North Carolina Biotechnology Center gives mostly in North Carolina: 77% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Georgia (23%). The most frequent recipient cities were Raleigh, NC (3 grants), Charlotte, NC (2 grants), Winston-Salem, NC (2 grants) and Durham, NC (2 grants).
Does North Carolina Biotechnology Center give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 24 grants with a stated purpose on North Carolina Biotechnology Center's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Research" (18 grants) and "Scholarship" (6 grants).
Who are North Carolina Biotechnology Center's largest grantees?
North Carolina Biotechnology Center's largest 2025 grantees include UNC-Chapel Hill ($711,065), North Carolina State University ($486,254) and Duke University ($451,043), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 3 individual scholarships ($90,662), which are not listed by name. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is North Carolina Biotechnology Center?
North Carolina Biotechnology Center reported $42.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $21.0M.
What does North Carolina Biotechnology Center fund?
The Center’s stated mission is to aid biotechnology-related efforts by researchers, businesses, governments, and other agencies, primarily through program-related grants, loans, and services to grow or advance the industry in North Carolina. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from North Carolina Biotechnology Center?
For the Translational Research Grant, the principal investigator must register for an account in the Center’s funding portal before submitting a proposal by the deadline. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is North Carolina Biotechnology Center's EIN?
North Carolina Biotechnology Center's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 56-1434024. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 4, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 3, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 17, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in North Carolina Biotechnology Center's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). North Carolina Biotechnology Center funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/north-carolina-biotechnology-center-morg_e36d5a13d11649d28f0a5566b4298733
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_561434024_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{North Carolina Biotechnology Center funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/north-carolina-biotechnology-center-morg_e36d5a13d11649d28f0a5566b4298733},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from North Carolina Biotechnology Center's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
North Carolina Biotechnology Center down — hundreds of funders to go?