Reaffirming Our Commitment
by James M. Gentile
RCSA '09 Funding
Dear Colleagues:
As President of Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) I am pleased to inform you that the RCSA Board has reaffirmed its commitment to support early-career scientists and to fund innovation through collaboration and boundary-crossing research.
It is our contention that situations such as the current economic downturn provide the ultimate raison d'etre for philanthropy; philanthropy is about rising to the occasion. Therefore, RCSA will not be cutting programs or reducing funding in this next year. Instead, we will be making cuts in our administrative budget and/or looking for ways to accomplish administrative functions more economically.
Furthermore, we will be implementing two new ambitious programs and modifying our existing programs for greater effectiveness.
Now more than ever we believe that RCSA must boldly step to the fore, focus on long-term goals, and support our community. Funding constraints and cutbacks are putting the U.S. science community at risk, and no single group of scientists is more at risk than those just starting their careers. For almost a century RCSA has focused precisely on this group of early-career researchers and educators, and we will continue to do so in these stressful economic times. At RCSA we recognize the severe challenge before us and we are cognizant of the urgent responsibility it entails. Whatever the future brings, it is clear that our emphasis must remain on increasing the quality, effectiveness, and impact of programs and on the grants that we fund. That is what the principles of good stewardship have always demanded.
In the next 24-36 months, the ongoing economic challenge undoubtedly will provide numerous opportunities for the nation's private foundations to think and act creatively, perhaps even to come together to support common aspirations and to move in profoundly new and more promising directions. In the realm of scientific research, RCSA promotes collaboration and boundary-crossing initiatives; we predict these pathways can also come to be seen as effective philanthropic pathways to problem solving in a harsh financial environment.
At RCSA we are privileged to have the opportunity to continue to make a difference in the lives of scientists who will, throughout their professional careers, work to effect a healthy, productive life for our nation through scientific research and the continued education of future generations of students.
Sincerely,
James M. Gentile, Ph.D
President
