The Coalition for Life Sciences

What The Coalition for Life Sciences does

The Coalition for the Life Sciences (CLS) is a nonprofit policy advocacy organization headquartered at 6120 Executive Blvd., Suite 750, Rockville, Maryland. It operates as a 501(c)(3) program of the American Society of Cell Biology (ASCB) and functions as an alliance of nine professional life science organizations: ASCB, ASHG, ASM, Genentech, ASBMB, Genetics Society of America, HHMI, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, and the Society for Neuroscience. Collectively, CLS represents more than 60,000 federally funded biomedical scientists across every U.S. state. Its core operational asset is the Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus (CBRC), a 78-member bipartisan body established in 1989 that convenes recurring briefings connecting Members of Congress and staff with preeminent researchers on NIH-funded discoveries and research priorities.

CLS's product surface consists of advocacy programs and educational resources rather than commercial technology. Offerings include Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus briefings, NIH 101 educational sessions on the NIH peer review process, advocacy tip guides (communicating with Congress, media, and community allies), state-by-state research funding factsheets, the "Beyond 2020" strategic NIH report, and COVID-19 educational materials. The organization does not sell products or services and has no proprietary technology stack, AI/ML capabilities, or mobile applications. Distribution occurs through member organization channels, the grassroots scientist network, and direct Congressional engagement.

CLS is funded through tax-deductible donations processed via ASCB and does not publicly disclose revenue figures. Its go-to-market is community-led advocacy: it mobilizes scientists for policy engagement, facilitates scientist-Congress interactions, conducts advocacy training, sends formal letters to Congress on funding and policy matters, and runs public awareness campaigns. Current leadership includes Chair Jo Handelsman, PhD, and Executive Director Adrienne Hallett. The organization's customer-facing segments are federally funded life science researchers, U.S. Congress Members and staff, and the member professional organizations themselves. Recent activity through 2025 has been largely defensive, focused on opposing FY2026 multi-year funding proposals, Schedule F workforce reclassification, and advocating for the restoration of terminated research grants.

Name

The Coalition for Life Sciences

Legal name

The Coalition for Life Sciences

Website

https://coalitionforlifesciences.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Coalition for the Life Sciences is a nonprofit advocacy alliance of nine professional life science organizations representing over 60,000 federally funded scientists, operating the Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus to educate lawmakers and advocate for NIH and NSF funding. It is a 501(c)(3) program of ASCB funded by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: CLS is a non-profit organization funded through donations. Donations can be sent to the Coalition for Life Sciences c/o ASCB. CLS is a program of the American Society of Cell Biology. ASCB is a 501c3 organization and all donations are tax deductible.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Coalition for Life Sciences (CLS) is a nonprofit alliance of professional life science organizations that fosters public policies advancing basic biological research and its applications in medicine. It conducts Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus briefings that connect preeminent researchers with Members of Congress and staff, delivers NIH and NSF educational briefings, and provides advocacy training and resources that mobilize scientists to engage with federal policymakers in support of NIH and NSF funding. CLS represents more than 60,000 federally funded life science researchers across the United States through its nine member organizations.

Product overview

The Coalition for the Life Sciences is a non-profit alliance of professional organizations that fosters public policies advancing basic biological research. Rather than a commercial product company, CLS offers a suite of advocacy programs and educational resources including Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus Briefings that connect policymakers with researchers, NIH 101 educational sessions explaining the NIH peer review process and grant mechanisms, advocacy tip guides for scientists engaging with Congress and media, state-by-state research funding factsheets, and strategic reports on NIH policy. These offerings collectively support CLS's mission to protect and build the system that supports biological research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus Briefings Educational briefings operated through the 78-member bipartisan Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus that provide a forum where Members of Congress and their staff interact directly with preeminent researchers responsible for important scientific discoveries, highlighting advances made possible by NIH funding and their impact on the understanding, treatment, and prevention of human disease.
• NIH 101 Educational Briefings Educational briefings providing an overview of the NIH peer review process, the types of grants funded by the agency, and how NIH sets research priorities and solicits input from the scientific community and public.
• Advocacy Resources and Tips Program Suite of educational materials and training guides for scientists including an Introduction to Science Public Policy, Ideas for Advocacy, Presentation Best Practices, Communicating with Congress, NIH and NSF Talking Points, Communicating with the Media, Writing a Letter to the Editor, and Finding Community Allies.
• State-by-State Biomedical Research Funding Factsheets State-level factsheets providing data on federal investment in biomedical and scientific research across the United States, used to educate Congressional delegations on the local impact of NIH and NSF funding.
• Beyond 2020: A Vision and Pathway for NIH Report Strategic report outlining a vision and pathway for the National Institutes of Health beyond 2020, intended to inform policymakers and the scientific community on the future direction of NIH.
• COVID-19 Resources Educational materials and information about COVID-19 related to biomedical research and public health policy, made available to scientists, policymakers, and the public through the CLS website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 78-member bipartisan Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 July 2018FASEB co-hosted the inaugural Life Science Fair and Reception on Capitol Hill with CLS in July 2018, providing hands-on science exhibits for Congressional Members and staff.
• American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLS is a program of ASCB. ASCB serves as the organizational home for CLS, providing administrative infrastructure and hosting donations.
• American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of CLS coalition representing human genetics researchers.
• American Society for Microbiology (ASM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of CLS coalition representing microbiology researchers.
• Genentech (Roche)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of CLS coalition. Genentech was a partnering sponsor of the 2018 Life Science Fair on Capitol Hill.
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of CLS coalition representing biochemistry and molecular biology researchers.
• Genetics Society of America (GSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of CLS coalition representing genetics researchers.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of CLS coalition; major private biomedical research funder.
• HudsonAlpha Institute for BiotechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of CLS coalition representing biotechnology researchers in Alabama.
• Society for Neuroscience (SFN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of CLS coalition representing neuroscience researchers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Research!America: Advocacy alliance dedicated to increasing federal funding for health and medical research; closely comparable to CLS in mission, advocacy tactics, and Congressional access.
• Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB): Federation of multiple life-science professional societies that advocates for biomedical research funding; directly comparable in mission, membership model, and Congressional engagement (FASEB co-hosted the 2018 Life Science Fair with CLS).
• Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Funding: Coalition focused specifically on NIH funding advocacy; directly comparable to CLS's core NIH appropriations work, with a similar coalition-of-organizations structure.

Broad incumbents

• American Heart Association (AHA): Major nonprofit with active advocacy for NIH and cardiovascular research funding; comparable in advocacy tactics and Congressional engagement, though disease-focused rather than life-science-wide.
• American Medical Association (AMA): Large physician membership organization with substantial federal advocacy capacity on health research and policy; comparable in advocacy scale and Congressional access though clinical-rather-than-research focused.
• Association of American Universities (AAU): Association of leading research universities that actively advocates for federal research funding; comparable in policy advocacy function though it represents institutional rather than individual scientific interests.
• American Cancer Society (ACS): Large disease-focused nonprofit with a substantial research funding and advocacy operation (ACS CAN); comparable in advocacy model but focused specifically on cancer research funding.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): Much larger, broader scientific society with an active policy/advocacy arm; comparable in advocacy function but operates across all scientific disciplines rather than focusing narrowly on life sciences.

Regional players

• American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB): CLS's parent/host organization and a member of its coalition; a leading cell biology society that itself engages in advocacy and provides administrative infrastructure for CLS.
• Society for Neuroscience (SfN): CLS member organization and leading neuroscience professional society; comparable as a life-science professional society that participates in research funding advocacy through CLS and independently.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Coalition-for-the-Life-Sciences
• Xx.com/cls_advocates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-coalition-for-life-sciences

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Coalition for Life Sciences