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What We Do

We build collaborations to solve problems

With the generous help of donors large and small, we partner with others to make a difference

The National Stem Cell Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that funds adult stem cell and regenerative medicine research, connects children with limited resources to clinical trials for rare diseases, and underwrites the National STEM Scholar Program for middle school science teachers inspiring the next generation of STEM pioneers nationwide.

Funding Cures. Changing Lives.

We partner with other foundations, organizations, and institutions to co-fund research and clinical trials that advance therapies and technologies with the potential to significantly reduce the physical and financial burden of diseases and conditions that affect millions worldwide.

We believe in the power of collaboration to maximize donor dollars and speed research into cures for currently incurable diseases. We look for the most promising developments in the fields of neurodegenerative disease, autoimmune disease, rare childhood disorders, and regenerative repair, and actively seek partnerships to co-fund projects with the greatest potential to impact healthcare.

Through strong alliances

Current and past partnerships include:

Changing Futures Through STEM Education

In 2015, NSCF partnered with The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science, consistently named one of the best high schools in America, to develop and underwrite the National STEM Scholar Program, a professional development program for science teachers motivating students at the tipping point of life-long science interest – middle school. Research shows that children in middle school who become excited about science are the ones who will pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) courses in high school and major in STEM subjects at the technical and college level.

Each year, 10 middle school science teachers are selected from a national pool of applicants based solely on the description of a "big idea" Challenge Project they would implement if funds were available. STEM Scholars convene for a week each June on Gatton’s campus at Western Kentucky University (WKU) for a week of advanced STEM training, national network building, Challenge Project development, and uncommon access to nationally known STEM thought leaders. They leave with a laptop/tablet to facilitate ongoing collaboration, a generous stipend for technology and supplies to implement their Challenge Projects at home, and sponsored attendance at the National Science Teaching (NSTA) National Conference the following spring. They are mentored throughout the year by WKU master faculty. Every Scholar class since 2017 have received prestigious, peer-reviewed invitations to present their Challenge Projects at NSTA National Conferences.

We now have 80 Scholars representing middle schools in 33 states, from Alaska to New York and Wisconsin to Florida. They’ve been selected from more than 1,100 applicants in 48 states. You can meet the Scholars and learn about their Challenge Projects by scrolling over the Scholar Map, or read about them in List View.

The online National STEM Scholar Library provides instructional videos, project-based science lessons, and custom curriculum developed specifically for the National STEM Scholar Program. The Library is available free of charge for parents, students, and teachers in virtual and traditional classrooms worldwide.

We believe focusing our education efforts and resources on reaching the particularly influential middle school science teacher will bear fruit now and far into the future.

America Needs More Scientists - So We’re Growing Them Ourselves

STEM Scholars at Work
USA Map

Meet our Scholars across the country

Click to see our NSCF STEM Scholars

Advocating For You

Our patient advocacy programs connect people to life-saving treatments and potential cures.

We partner with the Pediatric Transplant and Cellular Therapy program (PTCT) at Duke University to help cover insurance copays and deductibles for children participating in clinical trials for rare diseases when those out-of-pocket costs are beyond a family's means. Children from all over the United States and around the world travel to PTCT for access to clinical trials for rare, disabling and fatal diseases. These are children with no other treatment options and often limited financial resources.

We work to advocate for bone marrow registration. In continuation of an advocacy initiative that began with our sponsorship of Sharing America's Marrow (S.A.M.), we continue to work toward significantly increasing the donor pool for life-saving bone marrow transplants.