The Charles E Kaufman Foundation

What it reported doing in 2024

The charles e. Kaufman foundation promotes and supports fundamental scientific research activities in chemistry, biology, and physics at Pennsylvania educational institutions. With the aid of a scientific advisory board, the foundation awards integrated research-education grants, new investigator and new initiative research grants. In 2024, grants were awarded for the following categories going to innovative and interdisciplinary scientific research at Pennsylvania universities.see continuation on schedule o.integrated research education grants provide support for research that focuses on direct engagement of undergraduate students along side innovative scientists in basic, fundamental, hands-on research that could lead to new discoveries and peer-reviewed publications. Two integrated research education grants were awarded to:1) understand the prey-capture mechanism of the carnivorous plant drosera by engaging undergraduate students through photography and microscopy techniques to build a computational model2) utilize cecropins, short peptides with anti-microbial properties that are produced by insects, for anti-bacterial activity and stability by engaging undergraduate students in a lab course to design and test stable derivatives of cecropins. New investigator grants provide research support for innovative basic scientists as they transition into an academic position as a new independent investigator. The foundation awarded new investigator grants that address core principles in biology, physics and chemistry. Grants were awarded to:1) focus on an overlooked gene expression regulation mechanism that was discovered in the principal investigator's lab in which rnas regulate their own production and better understand how widely this mechanism is used in cells.2) develop the theory behind a fundamentally new area of quantum magnetism called altermagnetism, a newly discovered third type of magnetism distinct from ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism.3) use machine learning to aid in the creation of better solvent mixtures that boost reaction efficiency and are environmentally friendly.4) understand how conflicts between dna replication machinery and transcription machinery are prevented to avoid genome breakage and how conflicts are resolved with dna repair machinery when genome breakage occurs.5) investigate the potential advantage of biofilm genetic diversity to survive transitions from one environment to another and better understand the consequences of this diversity.6) understand the role of astrocytes, non-neuronal brain cells, in sensory processing and attention shifts during movement by studying approach and avoidance behaviors in mice.new initiative research grants stimulate existing investigators with strong records of research accomplishments to establish collaborations that facilitate innovative interdisciplinary approaches toward a common research question and that require expertise beyond that of any single researcher. New initiative grants were awarded to:1) understand the energy constraints at play in a new kind of liquid-liquid crystal phase seperation that was recently discovered in the principal investigator's lab.2) understand the immune consequences of the uptake of extracellular vesicles from the bacterium streptococcus pneamoniae by mammalian cell and investigate whether this is a closed loop in which only mammalian cells uptake the bacterium's extracellular vesicles or whether bacteria also uptake mammalian vesicles.3) study the space around merging black holes by utilizing data from the laser interferometer gravitational-wave (ligo) observatory coupled with advanced simulations and artificial intelligence.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 88%; rating input score 88
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Missing
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Limited
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 77.8%; rating input score 78; 14th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 71
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Limited
  • Other executive compensation review process: Limited
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 0.9%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 20.62; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 3.5%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -21.5% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings