The Washington Research Foundation (WRF) is a private nonprofit foundation based in Seattle, Washington, established in 1981. The organization supports research, scholarship, and entrepreneurship in Washington state with a primary focus on life sciences and enabling technologies. WRF operates as both a grantmaking foundation and an investment vehicle, working to advance innovative academic research and help bring research discoveries to market.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$344.2M
+1.0% YoY
Annual Giving
$17.0M
+66.5% YoY
Grant Count
98
-41.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$174K
+182.0% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
WRF was founded to utilize the Bayh-Dole Act to support research and scholarship in Washington state. The foundation's core mission centers on supporting groundbreaking research and early-stage companies through grants and investments.
Primary program areas include:
- Scientific Investigation and Research: Promoting, encouraging, and supporting scientific investigation and research at eligible institutions (related grants: $9,818,859)
- Patent Assistance and Technology Transfer: Assisting eligible institutions with patent applications related to discoveries, inventions, and processes resulting from research and managing patent rights (related grants: $251,177)
- Postdoctoral Fellowships: Supporting postdoctoral researchers through fellowship programs
- Technology Commercialization: Funding projects beyond discovery stage to accelerate development toward commercial viability
Grantmaking
Grant Range
**: $50,000 - $10,000,000
Grant Types
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Washington state nonprofit research institutions are the primary focus. The foundation funds research institutions throughout Washington, including institutions in Bellingham, Pullman, Richland, and Seattle. Some funding has also been directed to institutions in Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets: $340.7 - $344.2 million (as of 2023)
Annual Revenue: $9.98 million (2023); $30.3 million reported in other sources
Total Expenses: $16.5 million (2023)
Total Liabilities: $5.84 million (2023)
Cumulative Impact:
- Earned more than $445 million for Washington's nonprofit research institutions through technology licensing programs
- Distributed over $185-$188 million in grants to date
- WRF Capital has backed more than 130-132 local startups since 1996
Staffing: 12-26 employees
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $344,223,391 | $340,676,021 | $331,486,319 |
| Revenue | $16,987,498 | $9,977,279 | $40,434,478 |
| Expenses | $22,263,056 | $16,458,293 | $18,858,424 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $20,173,102 | $13,896,396 | $17,884,213 |
| Net Investment Income | $10,841,030 | $20,570,083 | $20,512,359 |
| Distributable Amount | $16,520,883 | $16,390,909 | $18,720,717 |
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
250 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
- Dr. Orin S. Levine: President and CEO (as of 2025), formerly of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Thomas Daniel: President & CEO (from October 2022)
- Morgan Heller: CFO/Treasurer/Secretary
- C Kent Carlson: Director
Founders: Tom Cable, Bill Gates Sr., and Hunter Simpson (founded 1981)
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| C KENT CARLSON | DIRECTOR | 3 | $26,000 |
| MORGAN HELLAR | CFO/TREASURER/SECRETARY | 40 | $324,053 |
| JACQUELINE BRAINARD EMAMI | DIRECTOR | 2 | $24,000 |
| THOMAS J CABLE | DIRECTOR | 1 | $20,000 |
| KEVIN CABLE | DIRECTOR | 1 | $19,000 |
| SUE COLITON | DIRECTOR | 2 | $29,000 |
| BROOKS SIMPSON | CHAIRMAN | 4 | $30,000 |
| JAMES R UHLIR | DIRECTOR | 1 | $20,000 |
| CAROL DAHL | DIRECTOR | 1 | $19,000 |
| DESNEY TAN | DIRECTOR | 1 | $19,000 |
| THOMAS DANIEL | PRESIDENT & CEO | 40 | $596,000 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
WRF has announced several significant grants in recent years:
$7 million awarded to UW Institute for research initiatives
Washington Research Foundation awards $7 million to UW Institute ...$5.2 million awarded to Fred Hutch and Seattle Children's for development of therapeutics for first-in-human studies
Washington Research Foundation awards $250,000 to Seattle Children's researchers$250,000 awarded to Seattle Children's researchers for next-generation brain tumor therapy development
Washington Research Foundation awards $250,000 to Seattle Children\u2019\$6 million distributed in research grants
Washington Research Foundation awards $7 million to UW Institute ...Postdoctoral fellowships awarded to researchers including Mafune (2021), Tanshi (2023), Tatapudy (2022), and Nichols (2022)
In 2025, the foundation announced new leadership with Dr. Orin S. Levine assuming the role of President and CEO, bringing focus to helping "Washington's life sciences ecosystem reach even greater heights."
Subject 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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