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Updates

Early Childhood Development|September 21, 2021

Can’t Compete: Why Hiring for Child Care is a Huge Struggle

The shortage of private childcare, which has worsened during the pandemic, is a major problem for parents of young children, and staffing challenges are the primary driver. The Biden administration is trying to address this issue.

Environmental Innovation|September 13, 2021

Scientists Build Satellite to Monitor Methane Leaks that Contribute to Global Warming

EDF Scientist Ilissa Ocko explains, “Reducing methane emissions is the single fastest opportunity we have to slow down the rate of warming.”

Medical Research & Talent|September 2, 2021

Two Whitehead Fellows Named to MIT and Harvard Faculties

Kristin Knouse joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) faculty as an assistant professor of biology and a member of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer. As a Scott Cook and Signe Ostby Fellow at the Whitehead Institute since 2018, Knouse worked to understand how tissues sense and respond to damage.

Collaborative Philanthropy|September 2, 2021

Apple Has New Tools to Protect Children. But at What Cost?

Thorn CEO Julie Cordua and co-founder Ashton Kutcher discuss Apple's new tools to fight the sexual exploitation of young people online and what trade-offs these tools may create for privacy.

Environmental Innovation|August 27, 2021

The Proliferation of Plastics and Toxic Chemicals Must End

Dr. Marty Mulvihill, the co-founder of venture capital firm Safer Made, co-authored an essay explaining why efforts to confront climate change and greenhouse gas emissions must be paired with initiatives to reduce plastic pollution and chemical toxicity.

Medical Research & Talent|June 15, 2021

What We Learned Doing Fast Grants

The founders of Fast Grants share insights from developing and operating a rapid funding platform for COVID-19 scientific research.

Medical Research & Talent|June 3, 2021

The Disease Detective

Dr. Joe DeRisi, a UCSF Sandler Fellow alumnus, invented a way to find pathogens that scientists didn't even know to look for. Can it help prevent the next pandemic?

Medical Research & Talent|April 28, 2021

Smart Cell Therapies for Solid Cancers Ready to Move Toward Clinical Trials

Researchers at UCSF have demonstrated how to engineer smart immune cells that are effective against solid tumors, opening the door to treating a variety of cancers that have long been untouchable with immunotherapies.

Valhalla Update|April 19, 2021

Valhalla Foundation Has Made a Multi-Year Grant Commitment to the Center for Policing Equity

CPE uses a science- and data-driven approach to identify the causes of racial disparities in policing in the US, and assists local communities in developing and implementing new visions for designing their public safety agencies.

Early Childhood Development|April 7, 2021

Family Connects, Smart Start Expand Support for NC children, Families

Family Connects International (FCI) recently announced that it will provide its nurse home visiting program for families with newborns to nearly 10,000 North Carolina families in rural communities, in partnership with the North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC)