For Foundations

The California Endowment has awarded a three-year social bond grant to USC Dornsife’s Equity Research Institute (ERI) in an effort to strengthen California’s ecosystem of BIPOC and community-engaged researchers who are equipped with the skills and capacities to provide data and narrative that bolsters community power and power building for health equity.  Under the direction of Manuel Pastor, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity, ERI will continue its legacy of serving as a Research and Evaluation partner to The California Endowment.

The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation funds the Beckman Scholars Program, a faculty-mentored undergraduate research experience in the Chemistry Department. Mentors work closely with Beckman Scholars over two consecutive summers and one academic year, training them to become future leaders of scientific research and imparting the foundational knowledge needed to pursue graduate school and beyond. Scholars also attend conferences and are trained to become strong communicators, effectively building public understanding of science and its importance in solving global challenges. Recent research by our Beckman Scholars has led to advances in the study of the protein involved in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and progress in challenging directions within the field of molecular-scale electronics.

The Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation provides support to students in the Department of Political Science and International Relations through the Willard and Betty Beling Scholarship. This award allows recipients to take advantage of enhanced educational opportunities, such as student research, internships, and international study. The Foundation also funds Borchard European Studies Fellowships for Ph.D. students across the Humanities, providing them the opportunity to spend time in Europe to finish necessary dissertation research. Recently completed projects span a range of topics, including the relationship between human societies and their physical environments and the question of whether documentary projects create the world as much as they reflect it.

The Anton B. Burg Foundation celebrates and honors the legacy of Professor Anton B. Burg by making generous grants to support the advancement of science at USC Dornsife. Supporting both research and education, the Burg Foundation has contributed most visibly to the success and vitality of the chemistry department. Over a period of years, the Burg Foundation has supported graduate fellowships, undergraduate curriculum, and equipment purchases for faculty research. The Burg Foundation also established an endowed Memorial Lectureship in Chemical Sciences to support an annual distinguished guest lecturer at USC.

The Cressant Foundation has been a preeminent supporter of the Project for Premodern Japan Studies at USC Dornsife, under the direction of Joan R. Piggott, the Gordon L. MacDonald Professor of History. Funding from the Cressant Foundation has enabled a range of programmatic and scholarly activities, including the ongoing Kambun Workshops that give students and scholars an opportunity to read and study premodern texts written in Kambun, the language of Japan’s historical sources. In addition, the Cressant Foundation has supported graduate student fellowships, postdoctoral fellowships, faculty research and travel, and numerous visiting scholars from Japan.