The Boston Scientific Foundation
Grant Programs
How We Contribute
Do You Qualify?
Frequently Asked Questions
Who We Are
In line with our corporate mission to help clinicians improve patients' lives through medical innovation, the Boston Scientific Foundation focuses its support towards national and local charitable efforts committed to improving access to quality healthcare and educational opportunities for the underserved.
What We Do
Through the Boston Scientific Foundation , we fund non-profit organizations in the communities where we live and work throughout the United States . We are committed to supporting innovative and replicable programming aimed at improving the lives of the economically disadvantaged. Our goal is to engage in partnerships that promote long-term systemic change.
Since 2002, we have donated more than $6 million to more than 300 local charitable organizations in an effort to improve health and educational opportunity for those in need.
Reducing Health Disparities
Our health-related grants aim to improve the health of those with significant unmet needs by enhancing access and quality of care, and supporting disease prevention and awareness efforts.
Tri-City Homeless Coalition ( http://www.tricityhomeless.org/ )
Located in Fremont , California , the Tri-City Homeless Coalition has a full spectrum of support services to combat the underlying causes of homelessness. A Boston Scientific Foundation grant supports the Coalition's mobile clinic, which provides a physician's assistant, a clinical social worker, a case manager and a drug/alcohol specialist to more than 500 people each year in homeless encampments and shelters in the Bay Area. This method of service delivery is far more effective than the traditional approach that requires homeless people to find their way to where services are being offered.
Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery ( http://www.crisisnursery.org/ )
In Minneapolis , Minnesota , the Greater Minnesota Crisis Nursery deals with emergency situations on a daily basis. The Nursery supports local families in need 24 hours a day, 365 days a year through free, voluntary services. The Nursery's shelter provides a temporary home to children who range in age from infants to kindergartners and whose parents face emergency situations at home. It is the only residential crisis center in Minnesota and one of only twenty in the United States . During its 23-year history, the Nursery has provided nearly 107,000 days of care to children, managed over 68,000 crisis calls, provided almost 51,000 referrals, sheltered more than 40,000 children and provided crisis counseling to more than 20,000 families.
Partners in Health PACT Program ( www.pih.org )“The Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery is a warm, loving and safe place where kids get to be kids while their parents take care of whatever family circumstances have put them into a crisis situation. The Boston Scientific Foundation grant has helped us to strengthen family ties, prevent neglect and pay for medicine for children who need serious medical attention when they arrive here.”
– Mary Pat Lee, Executive Director, Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery
Headquartered in Boston , Massachusetts , Partners in Health provides a preferential option for the poor in health care. Its Prevention and Access to Care and Treatment (PACT) is a model disease management and health promotion program that helps low-income HIV patients to better manage their disease by removing social barriers to care. Through collaborative case management, home visits to patients and other innovations, PACT has seen significant improvements in its patients' health, as well as reduced hospitalizations resulting in a 74% decrease in annual healthcare costs per patient per year. With Boston Scientific Foundation support, PACT is now replicating its model in New York City and Miami .
“Assistance from the Boston Scientific Foundation has been instrumental in the success of PACT, our HIV prevention and patient advocacy and empowerment program. Their mission to use innovative approaches to improve life clearly aligns with ours.”
– Dr. Heidi Behforouz, Medical Director, PACT
Improving Educational Opportunities
Our education-related grants seek to improve educational opportunities and skill development for those at risk of not fulfilling their potential. Our primary focus is to improve science and math education for young people.
Cool Kids Learn ( www.coolkidslearn.com ) Located in Miami , Florida , Cool Kids Learn (CKL) helps provide children with the academic skills and love of learning they need to succeed in school and life. School-year and summer programs include innovative learning opportunities with a focus on the basics of reading and math. The Boston Scientific Foundation supports The Catalyst Program, an academic enrichment after-school program for low-income youth, ages nine to 12, in Miami . CKL programs held at schools and community locations in four states serve more than 3,000 students.
Elementary Institute of Science ( www.eisca.org/ ) Located in San Diego , California , the Elementary Institute of Science nurtures the intellectual curiosity of young people by providing hands-on experiences to stimulate an ongoing appreciation and understanding of science and technology. Students are exposed to the wonders of science through a mixture of laboratory work, hands-on activities, and field trips. EIS instructors are junior, senior, or graduate students at local universities majoring in the subjects they teach at EIS. A Boston Scientific Foundation grant helps to support these programs and allows students seven to 13 years of age to unravel the mysteries of science, technology, engineering, health, natural science, and photography in a fun, hands-on educational way.
Owen County Learning Network ( www.ocln.net ) Located in Spencer , Indiana , the Owen County Learning Network works to enhance the overall growth and stability of a community with a significant economically disadvantaged population by empowering people with knowledge and lifelong learning programs. A Boston Scientific Foundation grant supports Start Off Smart, a school-readiness program designed to help parents foster their child's development and lay the groundwork for learning. The program curriculum, “Parents as Teachers,” aids early developmental abilities such as speech and vision, reading, and fine motor skills.
Fostering Health and Science Career Development
Combining our focus on health and education, the Boston Scientific Foundation also seeks to expand opportunities for economically disadvantaged populations to pursue health and science careers. At all levels of education, we work to help engage students with an interest in science and math, provide mentorship, and develop critical thinking skills.
Concordia University ( www.csp.edu )
Concordia University is a co-educational, liberal arts university serving more than 2,000 students from the U.S. and around the world. A Boston Scientific Foundation grant supports The Science Research Institute (SRI), a year-long collaborative program with Northwestern College , designed to engage college science majors and under-represented populations of high school students with an interest in science. The program matches college students as mentors to high school students in developing their knowledge and skills in scientific study and research.
American Indian Opportunities Industrialization Center ( www.aioic.org )
Located in Minneapolis , Minnesota , AIOIC has provided education and other employment-related services to over 20,000 people, the majority of whom are single head of household American Indians but also include African American, Hispanic and European Americans. For more than 23 years, AIOIC has addressed barriers to employment and provided opportunities within a culturally sensitive atmosphere. Our grant allowed AIOIC to provide a Home Health Aide and Nursing Assistant training program in a 5-week format to its clients.
Greater Adirondack Home Aides ( www.greateradirondackhomeaides.org )
Located in Glens Falls , New York , Greater Adirondack Home Aides (GAHA) is a professional, community-based home care agency providing quality leadership in education, direct care, and supportive services to clients and their families residing in Warren , Washington , Saratoga , and surrounding counties. GAHA provides initial training and continuing education for RN-supervised home aides. A Boston Scientific Foundation grant allows for increased home care for elderly and convalescing individuals in the Glens Falls area while providing area residents with training and employment to encourage economic self-sufficiency.
“We at Greater Adirondack Home Aides are most proud of our ongoing partnership with the Boston Scientific Foundation . The Foundation is helping us realize our goal of creating jobs in Glens Falls while allowing senior clients to remain in the comfort of their homes as long as possible as an alternative to placement in a more costly and intensive level of care."
– John Penzer, President and CEO, Greater Adirondack Home Aides
National Investments
The Boston Scientific Foundation launched its first major national grants program, the Health Disparities Initiative, in 2003. Our focus has been on developing innovative models to foster patient self-management, a key factor in reducing health disparities. Through diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes, patients can play a critical role in managing chronic diseases. To date, we have contributed more than $1 million in grants, starting with three-year grants to five community health centers that provide outstanding evidence of improved health outcomes for patients with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke and pediatric obesity.
In 2006, an increasing portion of our grants went towards efforts to improve health outcomes of homeless patients. In addition to continued support for the patient self-management model developed by Boston Health Care for the Homeless, we are partnering with the National Health Care for the Homeless Council on a major initiative to train clinicians throughout the country on how to support homeless patients in setting patient self-management goals.
“The struggles of homeless people have a magnified impact on those with diabetes, and managing the many aspects of this chronic condition can be overwhelming. We at Boston Health Care for the Homeless are grateful to the Boston Scientific Foundation for their generous support in our efforts to bring health care to homeless men and women with diabetes.”
- Sharon Morrison, R.N., Diabetes Nurse Educator, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
Plainfield Health Center ( www.phcmednet.org )
New Jersey 's Plainfield Health Center provides primary health care services to more than 20,000 underserved patients in Union, Middlesex and Somerset Counties . The Boston Scientific Foundation seeded the creation of an innovative after-school pediatric obesity prevention program designed to educate third to fifth graders about making good food choices, increase activity levels through exercise and games and provide intensive case management to children at risk for obesity. The impact on these children has been positive and significant, including increased physical activity and better understanding of nutritional concepts.
“ With the Boston Scientific Foundation 's help, we are now poised to expand our successful use of the patient self-management care model to other chronic illnesses beyond asthma and childhood obesity. Our other major long-term goal is to create a pediatric obesity prevention model that can be replicated elsewhere."
– Rudine Smith, CEO & President, Plainfield Health Center
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program ( www.bhchp.org )
BHCHP began in 1985 as one of 19 Health Care for the Homeless projects throughout the country, and now provides quality health care and social support to about 8,000 individuals annually. Interdisciplinary teams provide direct health care services in over 70 sites -- shelters, soup kitchens, detox programs, the backstretch of two thoroughbred racetracks, and directly on the city's streets. With its Boston Scientific Foundation grant support, BHCHP now provides a wide range of resources to help diabetic patients understand and actively participate in managing their disease, improving health outcomes for about 400 homeless diabetic patients.
Great Brook Valley Health Center (no link available)
The Great Brook Valley Health Center in Worcester , Massachusetts , is a comprehensive, multicultural, community health center with medical, dental, and mental health services, available to families and individuals of all ages. Great Brook pays special attention to chronic disease management, including HIV/AIDS and cardiovascular diseases. With its Boston Scientific Foundation Health Disparities Initiative support, Great Brook Valley has implemented several creative patient self-management approaches for patients with hypertension. As a result, 60% of these patients now have their blood pressure in control -- well above the goal set by the National Cardiovascular Collaborative for community health centers.
Local Programs
Boston Scientific is especially committed to supporting efforts to improve health and education in the communities where employees live and work. To see a list of these communities, click here .
Boston Scientific receives thousands of applications for grant support, many of which do not align with our stated mission, focus areas or funding criteria. Note that funding is limited and submission of an application (even one that meets our stated criteria) does not guarantee that a grant will be made to your organization. Please take a moment and review these questions to understand whether you might qualify.
1. Is the focus of your grant request health- or education-related? If yes, continue to the next question. If no, it is unlikely that the Boston Scientific Foundation would support your project.
2. Does your health- or education-related initiative focus on individuals or communities with significant unmet needs, such as those who are economically disadvantaged, at risk of not achieving their full potential, or otherwise unable to provide for themselves? If yes, continue to the next question. If no, it is unlikely that the Boston Scientific Foundation would support your project.
3. Is the nature of your project event-based fundraising, sponsorships or capital campaigns? If yes, it is unlikely that the Boston Scientific Foundation would support your project. If no, continue to the next question.
4. Does your grant request focus on any of the following geographic areas : Spencer, Indiana; Greater Boston, Marlborough, Natick, or Quincy, Massachusetts; Maple Grove, Plymouth, or St. Paul, Minnesota; Glens Falls, New York; Wayne, New Jersey; Fremont, Santa Clara, San Jose, or San Diego, California; or Miami, Florida? If no, Boston Scientific is unlikely to fund your project unless it has a national focus. If yes, continue to the next question. (Note: Currently, The Boston Scientific Foundation only makes grants within the United States .)
5. Is your organization a non-profit with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, a public agency or a public school? If yes, you may consider filling out a grant application. If no, it is unlikely that Boston Scientific would support your project.
Note: we discourage requests for general support from public schools, school districts or other programs that rely primarily on government funding.
Note: To quality for a Boston Scientific Foundation grant, you must certify that your organization does not discriminate in who you serve or who you hire on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, veteran's status, age, mental or physical disability, genetic information or any other class protected by federal, state, or local law requiring equal opportunity. You also must certify that your organization does not advocate, support, or practice activities that discriminate with regard to any of the aforementioned protected classes.
Please click here to download the Boston Scientific Foundation Grant application. Complete instructions on what should be included with your application can be found here .
Once completed, mail it to:
Boston Scientific Foundation , Inc.
One Boston Scientific Place – Mailstop B2
Natick , MA 01760
1.508.650.8554
Only one application from an organization will be considered within a 12-month period.
To see a complete list of our funding criteria, click here .
If you have further questions, contact the Foundation Administrator at foundation@bsci.com
Note to Fellowship Applicants: If the nature of your request is a fellowship in a field of post-graduate medical study associated with any of the following areas — Cardiac Rhythm Management, Cardiac Surgery, Electrophysiology, Endoscopy, Gynecology, Infusion Therapy, Interventional Cardiology, Neuro/Peripheral Interventions, Neuromodulation, Peripheral Interventions, Pulmonary Endoscopy, Radiology/Oncology Interventions, Urology or Vascular Surgery — you may qualify for a Boston Scientific Fellowship. Please contact the research and education coordinator for the appropriate Boston Scientific business.
1. Which organizations are eligible for support from the Boston Scientific Foundation ?
Legally, organizations must either be 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entities as defined by the Internal Revenue Service, or a public school or agency that meets our Foundation's primary goal of promoting health and education, especially to those with significant unmet needs. Note: Currently, the Boston Scientific Foundation only makes grants within the United States .
Click here for a complete list of currently funded organizations.
2. Which organizations are not eligible for support from the Boston Scientific Foundation ?
Groups or causes we will not consider supporting include:
• Fundraising events (golf tournaments, runs, walks, etc.)
• Religious organizations, clubs, fraternal groups, political associations or lobbying groups, unless the funds are open to the public or benefit the public's interest
• Capital endowment fund drives
• Individuals
Restrictions also exist on organizations associated with:
• Medical research
• Post-market research studies
• Educational seminars, conferences or symposia focused on medical devices or technologies
• Fundraising initiatives that may directly or indirectly benefit Boston Scientific Corporation
3. How does a qualifying organization apply to be considered for a grant?
Please click here to download the Boston Scientific Foundation Grant application. Once completed, mail it to:
Boston Scientific Foundation , Inc.
One Boston Scientific Place – Mailstop B2
Natick , MA 01760
1.508.650.8554
Only one application from an organization will be considered within a 12-month period.
4. What are the deadlines for grant applications?
There are no formal deadlines. Applications are accepted and grants made on a rolling basis throughout the year.
Find out more by reading the latest Boston Scientific Foundation Annual Report, or send an email to foundation@bsci.com .
