Focus
Prioritizing early-stage medical research that promises a sweeping, positive impact for humanity
Pushing Humanity Forward
The Karen Toffler Charitable Trust prioritizes medical research, projects, and initiatives that have the potential to heal, protect, and advance humanity in profound, high-impact ways. We strive to advance bold ideas and help to make a big impact by supporting areas of research others may overlook. We do that by filling in funding gaps and connecting early-stage researchers with a powerful and relevant network.
We accomplish this objective by offering meaningful annual grants and marshaling other scientists, researchers, and donors in support of new ways of thinking and problem-solving.
Funding for Early-Stage Research
Where others see risk, we see the potential for profound impact. As so often happens in medical science, young researchers lack the support necessary to compete with established labs. For most traditional funding organizations, early-stage projects are considered too risky. As a result, some of the most promising ideas stall.
The Karen Toffler Charitable Trust has built a future-focused framework that allows us to be a bridge from early-stage ideas to a stage of research where funding traditionally is more obtainable. We back our commitment to groundbreaking science with meaningful financial support. The impact is seen in the incredible work being done by individuals and organizations that might otherwise be unable to move their work forward.
Interconnected Ideas
Due to the increasing demand for specialization and the tendency for funding to be targeted to a specific sector, medical research is often siloed. It can be difficult for researchers to create cross-disciplinary ideas because there are fewer grants available. Through the funding awarded by the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust, disparate focus areas and research endeavors are connected to drive exponential impact.
Grantees gain necessary funding as well as connections to relevant projects outside their immediate area of study that could benefit from their focused discovery and insights. By strengthening their funding support and research networks, scientists, researchers, and institutions discover new ways of problem-solving together.
Rare and Underfunded Conditions
The Tofflers were renowned for their dedication to humanity and their ability to bring together disparate ideas to form world-shaping discoveries. It’s in that spirit that the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust commits funds to little-known and micro areas of research that show promise for understanding and solving pressing and unexplained medical issues on a macro level. By supporting research for rare diseases such as Guillain-Barre syndrome or Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), as well as emerging infectious disease surveillance, we help to care for those who may be impacted now and create connections to the breakthroughs essential for the future health and security of humanity.
“The future patterns of global power can only be glimpsed if, instead of looking at each major shift of power as an isolated event, we identify the common forces running through them.”
― Alvin Toffler, Powershift
See a Bigger Picture
Passion and promise fuel our work, the work of those we fund and support, and the people in their lives.
Your involvement will change humanity for the better.