Strategic Initiatives

The Tow Foundation’s Strategic Initiatives portfolio seeks to improve lives and enhance society by promoting innovation, access and participation in the fields of medicine, higher education and culture in New York and Connecticut. We invest in institutions that elevate diverse voices and provide opportunities for individuals to achieve, discover and create at their highest levels. We build long-standing, collaborative relationships that embrace risk and engage directly with those making change.

Our approach acknowledges that solutions to society’s problems are as multifaceted as the problems themselves. Our most successful grants often intersect two or more of our program areas fostering rich possibilities, exciting programs and the greatest impact.

Medicine – Medical discovery has the potential to transform lives through prevention, treatment and cures. In the field of medicine, we are primarily focused on neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and genomics. We support scientists leading groundbreaking research at distinguished institutions and the training of the next generation of scientific leaders. We promote the translation of research in the lab to the highest quality treatment and humane care for patients.

Higher Education – We support institutions that advance the pursuit of knowledge and produce the next generation of scholars and leaders. Our grants recognize excellent teachers and provide them with opportunities to pursue their scholarship and research. We enhance the educational experience of students by providing fellowships, internships and travel awards.

Culture – We foster the telling of stories from many angles and perspectives. With a focus on theater and journalism, we invest in organizations and individuals who represent all of us, not just some of us. Theater and performing arts grants support institutions, playwrights and participants who collaborate to create and share their work in theaters, prisons and communities. Our grants in the rapidly changing world of journalism and media help strengthen the free press by training journalists, developing innovative and data-driven approaches, and building partnerships to ensure journalistic rigor and integrity.

To assess if your organization fits our funding criteria, please refer to our Who We Fund page.