As a network of private foundations, Michelson Philanthropies creates transformative opportunities, makes positive impact investments, and fosters strategic partnerships supporting vulnerable or underserved communities. Michelson Philanthropies catalyzes sustainable, scalable, replicable solutions to a host of challenges facing society.

Dr. Gary K. Michelson is a board-certified orthopedic spinal surgeon, revolutionary inventor of medical technologies, self-made billionaire, and philanthropist. Retired from medical practice, he now focuses on catalytic opportunities to progress the fields of intellectual property, education, medical research, and animal welfare.

Medical Medical Research Foundation enables researchers to translate ideas into therapies that make an impact as quickly as possible. The Michelson Prizes focus on rebalancing research funding to support more early career investigators with brilliant high risk, high reward idea potential.

Michelson Found Animals Foundation seeks to end shelter euthanasia and enhance the lives of pets and people, regardless of the pet owner’s socioeconomic status. The foundation operates a range of projects including research and policy initiatives, community partnerships, and impact investments. 

Michelson 20MM Foundation was founded in 2010 to improve educational access, efficacy, and equity for the nation’s 20 million postsecondary students. It has since expanded its mission to invest in tech entrepreneurs, changemakers, and policy to catalyze scalable innovations in the knowledge economy and accelerate progress toward a more just world.

Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property, launched in 2016, seeks to instill a widespread appreciation for, and understanding of, intellectual property fundamentals to empower students, faculty, inventors, and entrepreneurs.