Funding search · EIN 880391959 · Portland, OR

The Lemelson Foundation

$48.9M
in grants paid: 180
grants: 88
recipients: 2022–2024
filing years

Recent grants

The 100 largest recent grants from this foundation’s filings, newest year first.

$3.0M
National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance · Hadley, MA · 2024
To support inventive mindsets and skillsets among higher education students and to foster institutional conditions that nurture such students
$1.6M
National Science Foundation · Alexandria, VA · 2024
To enable innovative collaborative research on sustainability by fostering efforts to transform engineering education to prepare graduating engineers to address environmental and social sustainability
$1.3M
Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy · Washington, DC · 2024
To support pre-development activities necessary to support tribes seeking to develop renewable energy projects on their lands
$1.1M
Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Cambridge, MA · 2024
To (1) support the lemelson-mits invention education work in developing the next generation of inventors, with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and (2) advance the field of invention education
$1.0M
Rocky Mountain Institute · Boulder, CO · 2024
To source, select, support, and scale promising startups through rmis third derivative and climate-aligned industries programs focused on decarbonizing three heavy industries: cement and concrete, petrochemicals, and st…
$750,000
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors · New York, NY · 2024
To be used by rockefeller philanthropy advisors as fiscal sponsor for the urban movement innovation fund
$600,000
William Marsh Rice University · Houston, TX · 2024
To increase capacity and partnerships in kenyan higher education institutions to strengthen kenya's innovation system
$500,000
Oil Change International · Washington, DC · 2024
For general operating support
$500,000
Climate Breakthrough · Berkeley, CA · 2024
For general operating support
$500,000
Rockefeller Family Fund · New York, NY · 2024
To support industry accountability for cleanup and decommissioning of methane-leaking infrastructure
$500,000
Sustainable Energy for All Verein Fur Nachhaltige Energie · 2024
For general operating support
$500,000
Kenya Impact Innovations Foundation · 2024
To support business incubation activities, develop a pipeline of invention-based enterprises, and strengthen an inclusive innovation ecosystem that will increase access to quality healthcare and other biotech innovation…
$500,000
Seeding Justice · Portland, OR · 2024
To be used for bridge funding to support the establishment of the oregon community climate investments fund
$400,000
Clearpath · Washington, DC · 2024
To continue support of the clean industrial technology campaign to accelerate the decarbonization of domestic industrial sectors
$395,740
Selco Foundation · 2024
To support a climate-focused, inclusive technology innovation and incubation program and knowledge center
$375,594
Villgro Innovations Foundation · 2024
To support the incubation and launch of high-impact, highly scalable, invention-based enterprises in india that improve lives of the poor as well address systemic barriers these ibes face in preparing to scale, and to s…
$360,000
Windward Fund · Washington, DC · 2024
To scale up cost-effective solutions in methane mitigation
$350,000
Action for the Climate Emergency · Charlestown, MA · 2024
For general operating support
$334,045
Portland State University Foundation · Portland, OR · 2024
To support the invent oregon program activities and to implement statewide collegiate invention and prototyping competition in oregon
$300,000
Environmental Defense Fund Incorporated · New York, NY · 2024
To support methanesat, an orbital eye in the sky that could monitor industrial methane leaks all over the planet
$300,000
New Venture Fund · Washington, DC · 2024
To support the catalytic capital community to strengthen disadvantaged communities, expand economic opportunity, and support innovation that advances the well-being of people and the planet in the united states and in l…
$250,000
Clean Air Task Force · Boston, MA · 2024
To support civil society organizations in africa working to address methane emissions
$250,000
National Public Radio · Washington, DC · 2024
For general operating support
$225,000
Society for Science and the Public · Washington, DC · 2024
To support a multi-point engagement strategy with middle school students to inspire and educate them through science fairs held across the country
$205,907
The Edison Institute · Dearborn, MI · 2024
To support the integration of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in their invention education work, in addition to sustaining a national network of invention convention affiliate programs
$203,177
Tie Oregon Foundation · Portland, OR · 2024
To continue the tie young entrepreneurs program and expand tie oregon's capacity through third-party evaluators
$192,206
American Society for Engineering Education · Washington, DC · 2024
To support the integration of engineering for one planet learning outcomes in diverse engineering courses and programs by supporting faculty curricular development efforts
$180,463
The Edison Institute · Dearborn, MI · 2024
To increase access to and inclusivity in the invention convention worldwide program, particularly for young women, black americans, latinx, and american indian communities
$162,500
Portland State University Foundation · Portland, OR · 2024
To support the evolution and growth of current programmatic offerings and to develop a new strategic approach to integrate invention education into the school day
$150,000
Smithsonian Institute · Washington, DC · 2024
To support the lemelson center for the study of invention and innovation with the installation of a new exhibition, change your game, and to develop education outreach programs
$150,000
The Aspen Institute · Washington, DC · 2024
To support the aspen network for development entrepreneurs (ande) to build climate change capacity and expertise so ande can advocate for and support climate entrepreneur support organizations in addressing climate chan…
$125,000
STEM Next Opportunity Fund · San Diego, CA · 2024
To support the placement of senior policy fellows in federal government agencies to advance stem, invention, and equity at the federal level
$125,000
Villanova University · Villanova, PA · 2024
To (1) increase adoption of the engineering for one planet framework in diverse institutions, (2) develop models for faculty training, and (3) develop a flexible model for institutionalization
$125,000
Realize Impact · Bainbridge Island, WA · 2024
To support the development and launch of a program designed to support african and female climate tech innovators
$120,000
Editorial Projects in Education · Bethesda, MD · 2024
To support the development and dissemination of new education research focused on identifying the needs of diverse students in stem and invention education
$115,000
Impact Innovators and Entrepreneurs Foundation · Wilmington, DE · 2024
To support a global network of entrepreneur support organizations with increased capacity and resources to foster invention-based enterprises that address the sustainable development goals and are selected for mentorship
$113,068
African Venture Philanthropy Alliance · 2024
To support the mobilization of investment within sub-saharan african countries into enterprises offering climate adaptation solutions for vulnerable populations
$101,500
Oregon State University Foundation · Corvallis, OR · 2024
To provide invention education to diverse and rural youth in grades k-12 throughout oregon and research and test teaching approaches
$100,044
Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association · Arlington, VA · 2024
To expand invention education programming adopted during the school day by building sustainable pathways for teachers serving underrepresented groups and teaching non-stem subjects
$100,000
Library Foundation of Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA · 2024
To support the "no prior art" exhibition
$100,000
Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association · Arlington, VA · 2024
To support the integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the associations invention education work
$99,520
Kenya Impact Innovations Foundation · 2024
To pilot the concept of lean start-up venture studio in kenya that aims to help entrepreneurs to ideate and invent health solutions targeted at improving the health of low-income and underserved populations
$98,850
Kenya National Innovation Agency · 2024
To (1) bring together nonprofit institutions, educational institutions, and research institutions in kenya that do not have tech transfer offices to pilot the creation of a shared tech transfer office model in hopes of …
$98,613
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers · New York, NY · 2024
To support the pre-pilot phase of an entrepreneur mentorship pilot initiative in india
$96,000
The Asme Foundation · New York, NY · 2024
To (1) support the asme innovation showcase (ishow) in india, kenya, and the united states, and (2) pilot models for strengthening ecosystems in regions where ishow is held
$94,845
Kennesaw State Unversity Research and Service Foundation · Kennesaw, GA · 2024
To integrate engineering for one planet learning outcomes in diverse engineering courses across multiple departments
$81,286
Regents of the University of Michigan · Dearborn, MI · 2024
To integrate engineering for one planet learning outcomes in diverse engineering courses and programs
$75,000
Tides Center · San Francisco, CA · 2024
To prepare and retain excellent k-12 stem teachers so that black, latinx, and native students can thrive in stem
$75,000
Community Initiatives · Oakland, CA · 2024
To continue to develop a formally structured network of philanthropic funders to inspire entrepreneurship, strengthen entrepreneurs, and support 2024 - 2025 programming for members
$66,978
The University of Texas at Arlington · Arlington, TX · 2024
To support ut arlington's integration of engineering for one planet learning outcomes in diverse engineering courses and programs
$62,500
STEM Next Opportunity Fund · San Diego, CA · 2024
To support the placement of diverse senior policy fellows in federal government agencies to advance stem, invention, and equity at the federal level
$59,850
Art Center College of Design · Pasadena, CA · 2024
To foster the integration of engineering for one planet learning outcomes through the modification of courses at artcenter and the introduction of courses at pasadena city college
$55,000
Trustees of Indiana University · Bloomington, IN · 2024
To conduct research to identify the capacities youth need to be inventive problem-solvers
$50,000
Black Inventors Hall of Fame · Wharton, NJ · 2024
To convene visionary individuals of color to help define the educational foundation of stem and invention education programs across the stem ecosystem
$50,000
American Society for Engineering Education · Washington, DC · 2024
To foster the integration of engineering for one planet learning outcomes in diverse engineering courses and programs by supporting faculty curricular development efforts
$50,000
Nature Conservancy · Seattle, WA · 2024
To support the connecting canopies project, which aims to create a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable urban forestry model in the portland-metro area through a workforce development program for minoritized indiv…
$49,918
University of Maryland Eastern Shore · Princess Anne, MD · 2024
To train engineering faculty to integrate learning outcomes from the engineering for one planet framework into multiple engineering specializations
$49,594
Drones Doing Good Alliance · 2024
To (1) provide support to pilot a program in which the grantee will test how its drone hardware can be leveraged by local businesses in kenya who offer services to smallholder farmers, an impoverished and under-resource…
$39,324
African Centre for Technology Studies · 2024
To support acts's role as a collaborator in the national entrepreneurial institutions framework, to strengthen commercialization systems in kenya to increase capacity for local innovation to meet social and environmenta…
$35,261
Collaborative for Frontier Finance · Washington, DC · 2024
To assess the feasibility of and design for a new investment facility intended to mobilize more investment within african countries into local enterprises developing solutions to meet the needs of vulnerable, low-income…
$32,092
Rochester Institute of Technology · Rochester, NY · 2024
To enhance environmental and social sustainability in the skillset of students at rochester institute of technology and california state university, fresno using the engineering for one planet framework
$20,000
Oregon Community Foundation · Portland, OR · 2024
To reassess the purpose, data sources, assessment methods, and use of the oregon capital scan
$19,977
The Aspen Institute · Washington, DC · 2024
To be used by aspen institute in support of the aspen network of development entrepreneurs (ande) to build climate change capacity and expertise so that ande can enable enterprises and support organizations to fulfill t…
$15,000
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology · Baltimore, MD · 2024
To recognize innovative approaches to integrating sustainability in abet-accredited programs and gain visibility for engineering for one planet with priority target audiences
$13,278
Society for Science and the Public · Washington, DC · 2024
To gather a group of invention education practitioners to identify the invention competition ecosystem and its members and begin planning to expand this ecosystem
$12,938
Moco Kidsco · Bethesda, MD · 2024
To gather a group of invention education practitioners for the pre-planning of a convening that will bring together invention education researchers and practitioners
$10,000
University of Utah · Salt Lake City, UT · 2024
To integrate learning outcomes from the engineering for one planet framework in courses within four engineering departments to positively impact students
$10,000
The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University · Stanford, CA · 2024
To support health innovation enterprises and management of the national health authoritys market access program
$10,000
New Mexico Mesa · Albuquerque, NM · 2024
To gather a group of invention education practitioners to begin planning how to advance the adoption of invention education curriculum in mesa chapters across the ten states in which mesa operates
$9,696
Portland State University Foundation · Portland, OR · 2024
To gather a group of invention education practitioners to define the challenges that keep invention education from being integrated into the classroom
$5,000
Lords Education & Health Society · 2024
To develop and pilot a health innovation unit within two indian states and evaluate whether this reduces barriers to adopt innovations
$3.0M
National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance · Hadley, MA · 2023
To support inventive mindsets and skillsets in collegiate students and to support faculty to cultivate invention education.
$2.3M
Massachusetts Institute of Technology · Cambridge, MA · 2023
To seek to develop the next generation of inventors, with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and specifically to expand inclusive opportunities for all people to learn to invent, protect their intellectual pro…
$1.0M
Climate Breakthrough · Berkeley, CA · 2023
For general operating support.
$1.0M
Rocky Mountain Institute · Boulder, CO · 2023
To accelerate industrial decarbonization by sourcing, selecting, supporting, and scaling climate tech startups through rmis third derivative (d3) and climate-aligned industries (cai) programs.
$1.0M
Instituto Clima E Sociedade · 2023
To bring internet connectivity to the guardians of the amazon and develop a roadmap for industrial decarbonization and climate justice in northeast brazil.
$585,000
Impact Innovators and Entrepreneurs Foundation · Wilmington, DE · 2023
Scaling invention-based impact in developing countries through training, capacity building and providing seed-funding for impact incubators in those ecosystems.
$500,000
Clearpath · Washington, DC · 2023
To establish a fund to accelerate the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industrial sectors.
$500,000
Sustainable Energy for All Verein Fur Nachhaltige Energie · 2023
For general operating support.
$450,000
Kenya Impact Innovations Foundation · 2023
To support kenya impact innovations foundation's business incubation activities and to build a stronger pipeline of invention-based enterprises in east africa that will meet the health needs for low resource populations.
$400,000
Selco Foundation · 2023
To set up a robust climate focused, inclusive technology innovation and incubation program and knowledge center.
$360,884
Villgro Innovations Foundation (Formerly Known As Rural Innovations Network · 2023
To incubate invention-based enterprises, address systemic barriers to scale and strengthen the resilience of the invention ecosystem in india.
$352,206
American Society for Engineering Education · Washington Dc, DC · 2023
To integrate engineering for one planet sustainability learning outcomes in diverse courses and programs nationally.
$350,000
National Science Foundation · Alexandria, VA · 2023
To support and expand the research in the formation of engineers program at higher education institutions to integrate sustainability into the engineering curriculum.
$308,806
The Edison Institute · Dearborn, MI · 2023
To support the integration of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in their invention education work, in addition to sustaining a national network of invention convention affiliate programs.
$281,500
Portland State University Foundation · Portland, OR · 2023
To support continuation and expansion of the oregon mesa program including after school and community invention education programs and teacher professional development.
$250,000
National Public Radio · Washington, DC · 2023
For general operating support.
$167,000
Portland State University Foundation · Portland, OR · 2023
To support a statewide collegiate invention competition in oregon.
$165,000
Portland State University Foundation · Portland, OR · 2023
To support a statewide collegiate invention competition in oregon.
$150,000
African Venture Philanthropy Alliance · 2023
To support the mobilization of investment within sub-saharan african countries into enterprises offering climate adaptation solutions for vulnerable populations.
$150,000
William Marsh Rice University · Houston, TX · 2023
To design and begin implementing a program to support adoption of invention education in select kenyan universities and to identify and convene a community of stakeholders that share the goal of increased contribution b…
$136,404
Oregon State University Foundation · Corvallis, OR · 2023
To support in-school invention education programs, summer camps, and supplemental programs in rural communities in oregon.
$125,000
Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association · Arlington, VA · 2023
To provide black, native american, and latinx youth an opportunity to engage with invention education, using teachers as the vehicle to reach them in an equitable and inclusive manner.
$120,181
Tie Oregon Foundation · Portland, OR · 2023
To continue tie young entrepreneurs (tye) program and expand tie oregon's evaluation efforts.
$112,500
Society for Science and the Public · Washington, DC · 2023
To support a multi-point engagement strategy with middle schoolers to inspire and educate them through science fairs held across the country.
$110,000
Impact Innovators and Entrepreneurs Foundation · Wilmington, DE · 2023
To provide capital for seed investments in invention-based enterprises and to pilot finance innovations that address capital needs that enable scale of invention-based enterprises.
$103,599
Oregon State University Foundation · Corvallis, OR · 2023
To continue providing invention education to diverse and rural youth in grades k-12 throughout oregon and to test culturally appropriate teaching approaches, increase the inventiveness of children, generate new research…
$100,000
The Asme Foundation · New York, NY · 2023
To provide continued support of asme ishow in india, kenya, and the united states and to pilot models for strengthening regional ecosystems.
$100,000
Trustees of Indiana University · Bloomington, IN · 2023
To conduct research to identify the capacities youth need to be inventive problem-solvers.
$100,000
Collaborative for Frontier Finance · Washington, DC · 2023
To assess the feasibility of and design for a new investment facility intended to mobilize more investment within african countries into local enterprises developing solutions to meet the needs of vulnerable, low-income…

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Source: IRS Form 990-PF, Part XV, as filed by the foundation. These are grants already paid — a record of what this funder backs, not an open call. Most private foundations do not accept unsolicited applications; the route in is usually a program officer.