Children's Trust Grantmakers

An exclusive group of rising philanthropists that hosts an annual spring meeting where hand-selected pediatric researchers pitch pioneering projects for seed funding to kickstart their research.

Geographic Scope: UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and affiliated researchers

Focus Areas:

• Pediatric health research
• Startup/early-stage pediatric research projects
• Recent examples include:
  • Childhood asthma research and personalized medicine ($80,000 first place)
  • Ewing sarcoma treatment research ($60,000 second place)
  • Adolescent epilepsy and neurology research ($30,000 third place)

Eligibility:

• Researchers affiliated with UPMC Children's Hospital
• Physicians and physician-scientists
• Projects must focus on improving pediatric health outcomes

Award Structure:

• First place: $80,000
• Second place: $60,000
• Third place: $30,000
• Total distributed in 2024: $170,000

Member Benefits:

• Active engagement with patient champions and families
• Quarterly updates from funded researchers showing philanthropic impact in action
• Opportunity to see research progress and outcomes

Background: The annual Grantmakers meeting brings together hand-selected researchers whose work aims at improving pediatric health. Members of the Trust stay informed with quarterly updates from funded researchers.

Application Process

Researchers must:

1. Be selected/nominated for the spring Grantmakers meeting
2. Pitch their pioneering research project to Children's Trust members
3. Present focus on improving pediatric health outcomes
4. Demonstrate innovation and potential impact

Evaluation Criteria:

• Research innovation and significance
• Potential to improve pediatric health
• Feasibility of proposed research
• Presenter's expertise and credentials

Timeline:

• Annual spring meeting (typically May based on 2024 data)
• Researchers pitch projects
• Winners announced and awarded same day

Note: Specific application materials and detailed submission instructions not provided in source material. Contact UPMC Children's Hospital Foundation for detailed application guidelines.