Tampa Veterans Research and Education Foundation

What Tampa Veterans Research and Education Foundation does

Tampa Veterans Research and Education Foundation (TVAREF), legally Tampa VA Research and Education Foundation, Inc., is a Florida-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit established on October 3, 1997 to advance VA research and educational activities at James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa. The foundation operates as a nonprofit research corporation under the VA's expanded authority framework, providing administrative infrastructure, grant management, seed funding, IRB/R&D liaison services, and clinical trial coordination for VA principal investigators and their industry, academic, and federal partners. Its core offerings include a Clinical Trials Program spanning cancer, cardiology, PTSD, TBI, and other therapeutic areas; a Seed Grant Program offering $15,000 awards to junior investigators; a searchable PI Profiles Platform; the annual VA Research Week event; and a tax-deductible donation platform.

TVAREF sits at the intersection of federal research funding (VA, DoD, NIH, PCORI), industry-sponsored clinical trials (Novartis, Grail, Sanofi, Janssen/J&J, Abbott, Medtronic), and academic collaboration (primarily University of South Florida, plus Ohio State, University of Florida, and UT Southwestern). Its revenue model is mix-shifted: it accepts tax-deductible donations and AmazonSmile contributions, administers federal grant funding flowing through the foundation, and earns clinical trial administration fees from pharmaceutical and medical device sponsors. The foundation is governed by a board that includes VA hospital leadership (Chief of Staff, ACOS/R&D, Executive Director of JAHVH), medical staff, a community member, and a USF academic representative, with day-to-day operations led by Executive Director Doug Reeder and a small administrative team (Director of Grants Administration, Director of Operations, Director of VA Communications).

The foundation's commercial model is structurally nonprofit: it prices nothing, charges no product fees, and operates to maximize research volume and veteran health outcomes rather than margin. Its primary beneficiaries are veteran research participants and VA investigators; its primary counterparties are federal agencies and pharmaceutical/biotech sponsors. Headcount is reported at 11-50, no revenue is publicly disclosed, and the organization is not rated or publicly traded. Material milestones include the 2025 NAVREF Innovation and Best Practices Award to its executive director and the 2026 Research Week celebrating 101 years of VA research.

Name

Tampa Veterans Research and Education Foundation

Legal name

Tampa VA Research and Education Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://tampavaref.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TVAREF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that administers and supports medical research and education at James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, serving VA investigators, veteran research participants, and federal and industry sponsors including Novartis, Grail, and the VA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Veterans Health Research Administration

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Veterans health research
• Clinical trial administration
• Nonprofit research foundation
• Federal grant management
• Medical research funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Florida

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations supporting veteran-focused medical research and education
2. Federal Grants and Funding: Funding from VA, DoD, NIH and other federal agencies for research programs administered through the foundation
3. Industry Partnerships: Collaborations with pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers for clinical trials and research studies

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

TVAREF is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that administers and advances clinical research and education programs on behalf of veterans served by the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital. The foundation funds and manages clinical trials in cancer, cardiology, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury, and operates a Seed Grant Program awarding $15,000 to early-career investigators.

Product overview

Tampa Veterans Research and Education Foundation (TVAREF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that supports VA research and education at James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital. The organization operates several interconnected programs: a Clinical Trials Program conducting human subject research across Cancer, Cardiology, PTSD, TBI, and Other therapeutic areas; a PI Profiles Platform showcasing researcher expertise and funding history; an annual VA Research Week event featuring presentations and poster sessions; a Seed Grant Program providing funding for junior investigators; and a Donations service accepting tax-deductible contributions. These offerings work together to advance medical research, facilitate education, and improve healthcare for Veterans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cancer Clinical Research Program
• Cardiology Clinical Research Program Clinical trial administration and research funding support for cardiology studies involving veteran patients at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital.
• PTSD Clinical Research Program
• TBI Clinical Research Program
• Seed Grant Program
• Grants Administration Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 veterans enrolled in multi-cancer early detection study

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• James A. Haley VA HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary federal partner - the main VA hospital where TVAREF-supported research is conducted. TVAREF was established specifically to advance research and education activities at this facility.
• Department of Veterans AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency overseeing VA research programs and healthcare delivery for veterans.
• Department of DefensecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal partner providing funding for military-related medical research through CDMRP and other programs.
• National Institutes of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research agency providing grant funding for biomedical research collaborations.
• University of South FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor university partner with multiple joint faculty appointments and collaborative research programs with TVAREF investigators.
• Bay Pines FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlorida nonprofit research corporation partner - one of the VISN 8 NPCs collaborating on shared research initiatives.
• North Florida Foundation for Research and EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlorida nonprofit research corporation partner in VISN 8 network.
• South Florida VA Foundation for Research and EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlorida nonprofit research corporation partner in VISN 8 network.
• NovartismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor pharmaceutical partner sponsoring multiple clinical trials including cardiovascular outcomes studies (VICTORION) and other industry-sponsored research at TVAREF.
• Moffitt Cancer CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic cancer research partner collaborating on oncology research initiatives.
• Craig HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational rehabilitation hospital and nonprofit partner collaborating on TBI and spinal cord injury research.
• Kessler FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner focused on rehabilitation research and disability studies.
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal nonprofit funding comparative effectiveness research with TVAREF investigators.
• Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical company partner for clinical trials.
• SanofiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical company partner for clinical trials including vaccine research.
• GrailmajorStrategic or Co-development Partnerbiotechnology company partner for multi-cancer early detection research study (Galleri test).
• Ohio State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner with collaborative research programs.
• University of FloridaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner with collaborative research programs.
• University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner with collaborative research programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: Major U.S. foundation that funds medical research and clinical investigator programs. Shares TVAREF's grantmaking role in advancing clinical research but operates nationally and at a much larger endowment scale.
• National Association of Veterans' Research and Education Foundations (NAVREF): Umbrella association representing all VA-affiliated NPCs, including TVAREF. Provides shared advocacy, training, and best-practice frameworks across the national NPC network, giving it overlapping scope with TVAREF's mission across a broader portfolio of member foundations.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Large biomedical research nonprofit that funds and operates investigator-driven research across many institutions. HHMI shares TVAREF's mission of advancing biomedical research but at a vastly larger scale and with a different funding model (endowment-based).

Direct peers

• Portland VA Research Foundation: VA-affiliated nonprofit research corporation supporting research at the Portland VA Medical Center. Administers federal grants, industry-sponsored trials, and seed funding for VA PIs using the same expanded-authority NPC model as TVAREF.
• North Florida Foundation for Research and Education: Florida VA-affiliated NPC partner of TVAREF in VISN 8. Provides the same administrative, grant-management, and clinical trial infrastructure to VA PIs at the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, making it a directly comparable peer.
• Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE): One of the largest VA-affiliated research nonprofits, supporting research at the San Francisco VA Health Care System. Operates the same NPC charter model with broader therapeutic-area scale and significantly larger annual research expenditures, making it a comparable peer at a larger scale.
• South Florida VA Foundation for Research and Education: VISN 8 VA NPC partner of TVAREF serving the Miami VA Healthcare System. Runs an identical model of federal grant administration, industry-sponsored trials, and seed funding for VA investigators — directly comparable in mission, structure, and revenue mix.
• Bay Pines Foundation: VISN 8 VA-affiliated nonprofit research corporation explicitly partnered with TVAREF. Operates the same NPC model at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, administering grants and clinical trials for VA investigators — a near-identical business model in the same Florida region.
• Research and Education Foundation of the Carolinas: VA-affiliated NPC supporting research at the W.G. Hefner VA Medical Center in Salisbury, NC. Operates the same federal grant administration and clinical trial support model as TVAREF at a slightly smaller scale.

Others

• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI): Federal nonprofit research funding organization that is an active grant-making partner to TVAREF investigators. Comparable as a source of comparative effectiveness research funding but not a direct operational competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tampavaref
• Facebookfacebook.com/TampaVAREF

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Tampa Veterans Research and Education Foundation