W.M. Keck Foundation Research Program Guidelines

Most recent content update: September 29, 2025

The Research Program seeks to support high-risk, high-reward projects that will have an outsized impact in advancing basic science. The foundation is looking for projects that aim to deliver pioneering and fundamental scientific discoveries in important and emerging areas of research. They fund high-impact research in basic physical, life, and biomedical sciences, including instrumentation development and engineering approaches in service of answering basic scientific questions.

Keck is interested in interdisciplinary research; thus, proposals may also come from a team of faculty across departments, disciplines, or schools. Keck is looking for “out-of-the-box” projects that push forward basic science, and are not otherwise fundable. Applicants should have unsuccessfully attempted to secure funding from conventional sources (National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, etc.) and be able to share formal or informal feedback indicating the breakthrough, high-risk nature of the project. For medical research concept papers, please note that the Keck Foundation is not interested in funding disease-specific projects.

Limited Submissions Process

This is a limited submission funding opportunity — a university-wide internal selection process is required. Up to eight concept papers may be submitted to the foundation for consideration. A total of two concept papers (one in each programmatic area) may then be selected to advance to the Phase I application process.

A summary of this funding opportunity is described below. If interested in applying, please view the internal competition details and apply on the Stanford Funding Opportunities Limited Submissions application portal.

See the internal competition page

Contact Us with Questions

• For questions about the internal competition process, please email limitedsubmissions@stanford.edu.
• For counseling or questions regarding the Foundation or concept paper requirements, please contact Brooke Groves-Anderson at 725-6250 or bgrovesa@stanford.edu.

In April 2025, University Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) and the Stanford Research Development Office (RDO) hosted an information session to help applicants align with the W. M. Keck Foundation’s mission to support high-impact basic science research. You can download the slides (SUNet ID required) for a summary of the following information.

How to Align Your Project with Keck Priorities

• Your project should focus on emerging, high-impact areas of research at the forefront of science, engineering, or medicine.
• It should have the potential to develop breakthrough technologies, instrumentation, or methodologies that could advance your field in new and meaningful ways.
• Think innovative, distinctive, and interdisciplinary. Keck is interested in ideas that may not fit neatly within traditional funding mechanisms.
• Your project should demonstrate a high level of risk, whether through unconventional approaches or by challenging prevailing paradigms.
• Don’t worry about the risk—the foundation acknowledges that not all such projects will be successful.
• Aim for transformative impact. Projects that could found a new field, enable observations that weren’t previously possible, or change how a long-standing problem is perceived are encouraged.
• Your work should fall outside the mission of public funding agencies or be too high-risk to be funded elsewhere. Be ready to show that other funding avenues have been explored but declined (you may be asked to document any denials from federal agencies).
• Clearly show that W. M. Keck Foundation support is essential for the project's success.
• For medical research, focus on fundamental mechanisms of health and disease rather than single-disease studies or purely clinical applications.
• Structure your project so that it can eventually stand on its own, rather than continuing dependence on W.M. Keck Foundation support.
• Finally, keep in mind that areas already well-funded or highly competitive, for example the BRAIN Initiative or climate change, are not appropriate this program.

Guidance for a Competitive Keck Application

The foundation application process happen in two phases:

1. Concept Paper (1 page) – This is the first step. The concept paper should clearly convey the big idea, novelty, and potential impact of your project. Keck reviewers use it to decide which projects move forward to the full proposal stage.
2. Full Proposal – If your concept paper is selected, you will be invited to submit a full proposal, which provides detailed methods, personnel, budget, and context.

Phase I: Concept Paper

The goal is to capture the essence of your project quickly and compellingly. Focus on:

• Big Picture Goals and Vision
  • What to include: Major objectives, the problem you are addressing, and the overarching research question.
  • Why it matters: Keck wants to fund projects that tackle fundamental, high-impact challenges, not incremental advances.
• Novelty and Transformative Potential
  • Highlight what makes your project unique and risky, and how it could reshape a field or open new avenues.
  • Be careful with how preliminary work and publications are characterized - the foundation often asks, "hasn't the breakthrough already occurred, why should we fund it?" during pre-application counseling.
• Alignment with Keck
  • Briefly explain why Keck support is essential, and why other funding sources are unlikely to support this work at this stage.
  • Emphasize bold, unconventional approaches and interdisciplinary aspects.
• High-Risk / High-Reward Framing
  • Convey that your project is ambitious, potentially “moonshot,” and that not all such projects are expected to succeed.

Tip for the concept paper: Focus on vision, novelty, and potential impact, not technical detail. Keep it concise and compelling—think of it as your “elevator pitch” to Keck reviewers.

Phase II: Full Proposal

If your concept paper is selected, the full proposal allows you to provide detail and justification. The guidance you already have applies here:

• Clearly Define Research Goals – State objectives and problems, frame them in terms of field-altering potential.
• Emphasize Novelty and Potential Breakthroughs – Differentiate your approach from prior work and show high-risk, transformative elements.
• Show Fit with Keck – Explain why Keck support is essential and why other funding sources are insufficient.
• Describe Methodology Strategically – Outline methods for each aim, potential challenges, and unique resources.
• Frame Equipment Needs Around Research Goals – Justify equipment requests by the scientific problem, not the tool.
• Address Key Proposal Elements Clearly – Impact, personnel, budget, context, and methods.
• Highlight Transformative Potential – Show how your work could reshape the field or enable new observations.
• Keep the Narrative Focused – Avoid overemphasizing preliminary results, frame around vision and opportunity.

Previous Grant Recipients

For additional guidance, it is strongly recommended that interested applicants review abstracts for recent grants made by the Keck Foundation:

https://www.wmkeck.org/our-focus-research/

• Stanford recipients- Medical Research Area
  • 2024: Michael Z. Lin, Brian Kobilka, Vivianne Tawfik
  • 2021: Karl Deisseroth & Zhenan Bao
  • 2020: Helen Blau & Sarah Heilstorm
  • 2014: Manu Prakash & Zev Bryant
  • 2013: Josh Elias
• Stanford recipients- Science and Engineering Area
  • 2021: Jennifer Dionne, Tony Heinz, & Felipe H. da Jornada
  • 2017: David Reis, Philip Bucksbaum, Jelena Vuckovic, & Shanhui Fan
  • 2014: Mark Kasevich, Leo Holberg, & Peter Graham
  • 2010: David Goldhaber-Gordon, Soucheng Zhang, & Yi Cui

Projects Ineligible for Funding

• General operating expenses, endowments, or deficit reduction
• Grants to individuals
• Public policy research
• General and federated campaigns, including fundraising events, dinners, or mass mailings
• Book publication and film productions
• Conference or seminar sponsorship
• Medical devices and translational research
• Treatment trials or research for the sole purpose of drug development
• Capital Projects

Grant Cycle Timeline

For Research Program Awards to be determined in December

For Research Program Awards to be determined in June

School Contacts

University Corporate and Foundation Relations

For counseling or questions regarding the Foundation and/or concept paper requirements, please contact Brooke Groves-Anderson at 725-6250, bgrovesa@stanford.edu.