ONO Pharma Foundation
The Ono Pharma Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. It supports academic scientific research through its competitive Ono Pharma Breakthrough Science Initiative Awards Program, which backs high-risk, high-reward projects with potential to advance scientific discoveries and, through further research, lead to treatments for patients.
ONO Pharma Foundation at a glance
In short: ONO Pharma Foundation gave $3.1M across 12 grants in 2026 (avg $259K), top state California. 55% of 2026 grantees were new. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2026)
- $3,105,000
- +0.0% vs 2025
- Grants made (2026)
- 12
- +0.0% vs 2025
- Average grant
- $258,750
- +0.0% vs 2025
- Median grant
- $258,750
- Total assets
- $11,847,057
- -19.9% vs 2025
- New grantees (estimate)
- 55% first-time grantees (6 of 11, 2026; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (39% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2026 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to ONO Pharma Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The Foundation’s filing says nominated, interested, and eligible PIs must submit a letter of interest; invited and qualified PIs must submit a full proposal. The filing also says brief reports are required every six months after an award, with a final study report due two months after project completion.
- Review Cycle
- The filing lists a February 14, 2025, letter-of-interest deadline and a May 8, 2025, request-for-proposal deadline. These were past deadlines as of October 2, 2026.
- Deadline
- The filing lists a February 14, 2025, letter-of-interest deadline and a May 8, 2025, request-for-proposal deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: Ono Pharma Foundation
Mailing address: C/O Tcc 333 7Th Ave 9Th Fl, New York, NY 10001
Phone: (609) 219-1010
Website: HTTP://WWW.ONOFOUND.ORG
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from ONO Pharma Foundation
Who ONO Pharma Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2026
The largest 2026 recipient was University of California Los Angeles Dr Keriann Backus ($345K). Together the top 10 received $2.6M.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($517,500), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
72 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 36 grants of 72 (50%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation’s website describes the awards program as supporting scientific research projects throughout the United States. In 2026, grant dollars were distributed among recipients in California (39%), Massachusetts (17%), Illinois (11%), Michigan (11%), and Wisconsin (11%); the listed grants also included recipients in New York and Connecticut.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is ONO Pharma Foundation open to new grantees?
55%
first-time grantees, 2026
In 2026, 6 of 11 grantees (55%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $288K; repeat grants $276K. How we count
Medians: $345K first-time, $173K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2026). 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 2021 to 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $3.1M (2025) to $5.0M (2021). In 2026 it made 12 grants totaling $3.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of California Los Angeles Dr Keriann Backus Los Angeles, CA | The ONO Pharma Breakthrough Science Intitiative Awards Program | $345,000 |
| The Scripps Research Institute Dr MIA Huang La Jolla, CA | The ONO Pharma Breakthrough Science Intitiative Awards Program | $345,000 |
| Regents of the University of Michigan Dr Amanda Garner Ann Arbor, MI | The ONO Pharma Breakthrough Science Intitiative Awards Program | $345,000 |
| Stanford University Dr Steven Banik Stanford, CA | The ONO Pharma Breakthrough Science Intitiative Awards Program | $345,000 |
| 2 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $517,500 |
| University of Wisconsin Dr Amy Weeks Madison, WI | The ONO Pharma Breakthrough Science Intitiative Awards Program | $345,000 |
| Harvard University Dr Jarad Mason Cambridge, MA | The ONO Pharma Breakthrough Science Intitiative Awards Program | $172,500 |
| Northwestern University Dr Xiaoyu Zhang Evanston, IL | The ONO Pharma Breakthrough Science Intitiative Awards Program | $172,500 |
| Stanford University Dr Bianxiao CUI Stanford, CA | The ONO Pharma Breakthrough Science Intitiative Awards Program | $172,500 |
| Cornell University Dr Jeremy Baskin Ithaca, NY | The ONO Pharma Breakthrough Science Intitiative Awards Program | $172,500 |
Ready to take the next step with ONO Pharma Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $11,847,057 | $505,189 | $3,450,973 | $3,105,000 | 12 | $3,447,169 |
| 2025 | $14,793,826 | $9,516,421 | $3,534,351 | $3,105,000 | 12 | $3,533,633 |
| 2024 | $8,805,186 | $220,957 | $3,513,018 | $3,450,000 | 14 | $3,870,463 |
| 2023 | $12,448,698 | $287,144 | $3,324,120 | $4,140,000 | 16 | $4,427,747 |
| 2022 | $16,610,131 | $361,696 | $3,362,883 | $4,830,000 | 18 | $5,059,505 |
| 2021 | $21,283,575 | $12,980,605 | $5,368,999 | $5,002,500 | 19 | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s stated mission is to support principal investigators with creative ideas in selected scientific fields, seeking discoveries and solutions and the development of high-impact science. Its website says it is currently considering proposals in chemical biology, broadly defined as research at the interface of chemistry and biology.
The Foundation’s 2026 grants went to universities and research institutions, as well as one individual recipient. The Scripps Research Institute describes its own mission as conducting high-impact basic biomedical research, translating discoveries into useful products, and providing graduate and postgraduate scientific education and training.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2026, the Foundation reported 12 grants totaling $3,105,000. Individual grants ranged from $172,500 to $345,000, with a median of $258,750. The largest listed grants included $345,000 each to the University of California, Los Angeles; The Scripps Research Institute; the Regents of the University of Michigan; Stanford University; MIT; and the University of Wisconsin. Other listed recipients included Harvard University, Northwestern University, Cornell University, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The website describes awards as three-year grants of $300,000 per year, with up to an additional 15% per year for institutional indirect costs. It states that total support can reach $1,035,000 per award. Applicants must be PIs at nominating institutions, hold an MD and/or PhD, and meet other eligibility requirements, including being within 15 years of starting an independent academic position. The website also lists requirements concerning prior applications, existing work, and relationships with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and the Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The Foundation’s website identifies Shingo Hotta as president and director, Erica Weinberg as secretary, Toru Maruyama as treasurer, and Kenji Sasaki as chief scientific officer. It also identifies Jerold Chun as a director. The 2026 filing lists Shingo Hotta as director and president, and Hirotaka Mizuno as president, along with Kenji Sasaki, Toru Maruyama, Erica Weinberg, and Tetsuya Sugiyama in officer or director roles.
ONO Pharma Foundation is led by Hirotaka Mizuno, President on every filing since 2025; 1 of 6 officers listed in 2026 is compensated.
Officers on the 2026 filing
Hirotaka Mizuno
President
On filings since 2025
2.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shingo Hotta
Director & President
New on the 2026 filing
2.7 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tetsuya Sugiyama
Director
President → Director, 2023
On filings since 2021
2.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Erica Weinberg
Secretary
On filings since 2024
0.2 hrs/week
$3K (2024) → $5K (2026)
Toru Maruyama
Treasurer
On filings since 2023
5.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kenji Sasaki
Chief Scientific Officer
New on the 2026 filing
16.2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Hiroshi Ochiai (2021–2024) — President
- Former: Masaya Kokubo (2022–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Tomoyuki Bando (2021–2022) — Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2026. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2026 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2026 filing was $5K, to Erica Weinberg (Secretary).
Frequently asked questions about ONO Pharma Foundation
How much does ONO Pharma Foundation give each year?
ONO Pharma Foundation gave $3.1M across 12 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $3.1M across 12 grants.
What is ONO Pharma Foundation's typical grant size?
ONO Pharma Foundation's median grant in 2026 was $258,750, and its average grant was $258,750, across 12 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from ONO Pharma Foundation that year got $288K on average.
Where does ONO Pharma Foundation give grants?
ONO Pharma Foundation's top state is California, with 39% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Massachusetts (17%) and Illinois (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Stanford, CA (2 grants).
Does ONO Pharma Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2026: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on ONO Pharma Foundation's 2026 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are ONO Pharma Foundation's largest grantees?
ONO Pharma Foundation's largest 2026 grantees include University of California Los Angeles Dr Keriann Backus ($345,000), The Scripps Research Institute Dr MIA Huang ($345,000) and Regents of the University of Michigan Dr Amanda Garner ($345,000), according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($517,500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2026 grant dollars.
How large is ONO Pharma Foundation?
ONO Pharma Foundation reported $11.8M in total assets on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $505K.
What does ONO Pharma Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s stated mission is to support principal investigators with creative ideas in selected scientific fields, seeking discoveries and solutions and the development of high-impact science. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from ONO Pharma Foundation?
The Foundation’s filing says nominated, interested, and eligible PIs must submit a letter of interest; invited and qualified PIs must submit a full proposal. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is ONO Pharma Foundation's EIN?
ONO Pharma Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-5299703. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2026.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2026 (received by the IRS June 9, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in ONO Pharma Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). ONO Pharma Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ono-pharma-foundation-morg_02fffd9e0e2a4f6796bef664ef5740d5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_815299703_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{ONO Pharma Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ono-pharma-foundation-morg_02fffd9e0e2a4f6796bef664ef5740d5},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 ONO Pharma Foundation'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.
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