A Case Study in Enhancing the Impact and Operations of a 75-Year-Old Foundation

The A.P. Giannini Foundation was established in 1945 by A.P. Giannini, the founder of Bank of America.  The mission of the Foundation is to promote the study and treatment of human diseases, and it carries out this mission by awarding competitive fellowships to postdoctoral biomedical researchers sponsored by California’s accredited medical schools.  Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded over 1,000 fellowships to support innovative research in the basic sciences and applied fields and to train fellows to become established investigators.  

The A.P. Giannini Foundation has been a client of Kramer, Blum and Associates, Inc. (KBA) since 2000.  KBA and the Foundation Board of Directors are constantly asking, “How can we build upon the Foundation’s successes?”  “What might we do differently to make the greatest impact?”  While the Foundation’s grantmaking has maintained its singular focus in supporting postdoctoral research fellowships, the Foundation’s work has evolved under KBA’s stewardship to enhance the Foundation’s ability to advance preventions, treatments, and cures for human diseases.  Specifically, the Foundation now funds not only research, but it also invests in the professional development of its fellows. 

In 2015, under KBA’s stewardship, the Foundation launched a Communications Program, which is designed to help fellows explain their groundbreaking research in ways that other scientists and lay people can understand.  Three years later, the Foundation added a Leadership Program to enhance the fellows’ ability to lead in the workplace.  Today, the Foundation offers the only postdoctoral research fellowship program in California that provides this unique combination of coaching and professional development, and fellows have praised the two programs for preparing them for the next stage in their careers.  By supporting fellows in developing skills beyond the bench, the Foundation is positioning fellows to become the most respected scientific leaders in their fields and to serve as mentors to succeeding generations of young researchers.

Not only has the Foundation’s programmatic work been strengthened under KBA’s management, but its business and administrative processes have also been streamlined and improved.  In 2021, KBA introduced an online portal to facilitate the submission and review of fellowship applications.  KBA codified the Foundation’s operating procedures in a manual that is updated annually. The A.P. Giannini Foundation, in existence since 1945, is realizing its founder’s goal through innovative programming and sound management practices, both of which are to the credit of KBA.