2022 Annual Report
Strategic Giving for Greater Impact
I am pleased to share the foundation’s 2022 annual report, along with our audited financials and highlights from our giving. It was an exciting year for us. We made a strategic decision to expand how we support basic science in our areas of focus, and we celebrated the 2022 Kavli Prize Laureates.
In its first two decades, the foundation led primarily with an endowment model and established Kavli Institutes conducting basic research in astrophysics, nanoscience, neuroscience, and theoretical physics. Beginning in 2022 we implemented a new approach, taking a more proactive role to identifying opportunities in these four fields and catalyzing development in emerging areas.
Our new funding strategy is built on the earlier giving of The Kavli Foundation, that established our reputation as a stalwart supporter of basic science, and is guided by the broad objectives of promoting innovation through strategic partnerships; pursuing new and impactful directions; diversifying the Kavli community; and establishing multi-year initiatives with potential for transformative impact.
The overarching goal of our current philanthropy is to support emerging areas of research and to catalyze the development of new areas ripe for discovery. Excellent ideas at very early stages often struggle to garner funding through traditional sources, such as the federal government. We seek funding opportunities that are not being funded by others. We look to the future for opportunities. In each of our fields, we strive to identify specific subfields that define our strategy. In each of our science areas, we search for arenas that we think have transformational potential.
Once we identify an area, we work with partners to develop funding opportunities on which we can act. We recognize the power of collaborative efforts in driving meaningful progress.
Finally, we prioritize agility by swiftly funding early-stage, high-risk, high-reward research areas, enabling the exploration of novel ideas with transformative potential. Getting funds into the hands of researchers accelerates progress.
Cynthia M. Friend
Astrophysics
Search for Life in the Universe was established and the foundation continued support for Scialog®
Signatures of Life in the Universe.
Nanoscience
New scientific themes were identified, ripe for exploration and future support. Two emerging areas of focus for include Frontiers of Quantum Materials and Nanoscience for Sustainability.
Neuroscience
A new area of research, Neurobiology and Changing Ecosystems got underway and foundation staff wrote a review exploring this emerging topic. New work also took shape in two portfolios Observe and Measure the Mind and Open Data in Neuroscience, including a review published in Neuron
involving the challenges with existing data governance.
Science and Society
The Kavli Centers for Ethics, Science, and the Public became fully focused on a proactive and sustained effort to connect scientists, ethicists, social scientists, science communicators, and publics to discuss potential impacts of scientific discoveries. Our collaboration with the Department of Energy for the Science Public Engagement Partnership, or SciPEP, also continued charting a path for public engagement in basic science.
The Kavli Prize
Eleven Kavli Prize Laurates were announced in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience. Celebrations took place in person in Oslo, Norway September 4-9, 2022, where the both the 2022 and 2020 laureates were honored by King Harald V.
Financials
Our mission is to stimulate basic research in astrophysics, nanoscience, neuroscience and theoretical physics; strengthen the relationship between science and society; and honor scientific discoveries with The Kavli Prize. The Kavli Foundation endowment, when combined with our external partners, is defined as the Kavli Philanthropic Enterprise and is valued at $1.1 billion.