Foundation for Heart Science

What Foundation for Heart Science does

Foundation for Heart Science, Ltd. is a Wisconsin-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit research foundation founded in 1999 by Dr. John E. Baker, Ph.D., in memory of his father who died of a heart attack. The organization funds basic science and translational cardiovascular research across four primary domains: cardioprotection during heart attacks via thrombopoietin (for which it holds a granted US patent on tissue protective properties), radiation-induced cardiovascular injury mitigation including statin repurposing, the gut microbiota-heart connection including Lactobacillus plantarum 299v and intestinal bacteria as radiation biomarkers, and protection of children's hearts during surgical repair of cyanotic congenital heart defects using a unique proprietary research model.

The foundation operates through a grant-making model rather than commercial product sales, funding named programs including the Maggy Zito Schultz Radiation Research Grant and Postdoctoral Fellowship Grants. Grant recipients are concentrated at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin / Children's Research Institute, with additional funded work at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Eastern Virginia Medical School. The foundation also runs the Science Saturday Series community outreach program, which has distributed over $300,000 in events and mentorship grants to date. Its primary institutional partners are the Medical College of Wisconsin, where founder Dr. Baker has served on faculty since 1987, and the Children's Research Institute, where he serves as investigator on pediatric clinical trials.

The foundation's revenue model is exclusively donation-based, accepting contributions via PayPal, mail, and community outreach events. It employs 1-10 staff and operates from a single headquarters in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven rather than commercial: awareness is generated through Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter/X channels plus in-person Science Saturday events, with the intent of attracting donations and supporting grant-funded research rather than selling products or services. The organization is founder-controlled with no institutional investors, parent company, or commercial subsidiaries.

Name

Foundation for Heart Science

Legal name

Foundation for Heart Science, Ltd.

Website

https://heartscience.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Foundation for Heart Science is a Wisconsin-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds basic cardiovascular research on radiation-induced heart injury, gut-heart mechanisms, and congenital heart defect protection, serving academic researchers and medical institutions through grant programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cardiovascular Research Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

Keywords

• Cardiovascular research funding
• Radiation injury research
• Heart disease research
• Nonprofit research grants
• Science education outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Wauwatosa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The foundation accepts donations through PayPal and mail. Donations are tax-deductible as the foundation is recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Foundation for Heart Science is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization that funds and conducts basic science research toward effective treatment and cure of congenital and acquired heart disease. It operates through research grant programs (including the Maggy Zito Schultz Radiation Research Grant and Postdoctoral Fellowship Grants), and conducts community outreach through the Science Saturday Series to expose students to careers in science and healthcare.

Product overview

Foundation for Heart Science is a nonprofit research organization (501(c)3) dedicated to advancing scientific research in heart health. The organization operates primarily through research grant funding programs, including the Maggy Zito Schultz Radiation Research Grant and Postdoctoral Fellowship Grants. The Science Saturday Series provides educational outreach to students. Research focus areas include radiation injury to the cardiovascular system, the gut-heart connection, and protecting children's hearts during surgical repair of congenital defects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 47.4% vs 29.7% heart disease rate: Dr. Olson's study showed 47.4% of patients age 70-80 developed heart disease after radiation treatment compared to 29.7% who received radiation and simvastatin
• +2 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dr. Jessica Olson at Medical College of WisconsincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant recipient conducting patient study to validate lab findings on simvastatin limiting progression of cardiovascular disease after radiation treatment for cancers below the diaphragm. Study examined over 3,600 patients and found 47.4% of untreated vs 29.7% of simvastatin-treated patients developed heart disease.
• Dr. Amy Kronenberg at Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant recipient studying repurposing of statins as a medical countermeasure to mitigate radiation injury to the heart after irradiation of organs below the diaphragm, focusing on injury to the non-targeted heart.
• Christopher Olsen at Medical College of WisconsinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant recipient investigating damaging effects of radiation on the brain and methods to assess cognitive functioning after cranial radiotherapy for brain tumor patients.
• Dr. Lam at Medical College of WisconsincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPostdoctoral Fellowship Grant recipient who identified intestinal bacteria as indicators of prior radiation exposure. Discovered that high doses of radiation profoundly change intestinal bacteria composition with effects persisting for weeks, and linked intestinal bacteria to severity of heart attack in rats.
• Richard Britten at Eastern Virginia Medical SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant recipient investigating damaging effects of space radiation on cognitive functioning in rats, studying early and late effects on normal brain tissues for astronaut protection.
• Medical College of WisconsincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional partner where Dr. Baker serves as faculty member (since 1987) and where multiple funded researchers conduct research on gut microbiota, radiation effects, and cardiovascular disease.
• Children's Hospital of Wisconsin / Children's Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical trial partner where Dr. Baker serves as investigator at Children's Research Institute. Conducted clinical trials demonstrating protein protection of children's hearts during surgical repair of congenital heart defects.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: Major US private foundation funding medical research, including clinical research and translational programs. Comparable private grantmaking nonprofit model with substantially larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Major biomedical research organization funding scientists and translational research. Comparable as a science-funding nonprofit, but operates at much larger scale with its own research labs.
• Helmsley Charitable Trust: Large private foundation with significant health and medical research grantmaking, including cardiovascular-related programs. Comparable as a private foundation funding health research, but with far broader scope and scale.
• British Heart Foundation: UK-based cardiovascular research charity funding grants, fellowships, and clinical infrastructure. Comparable as a national-scale cardiovascular research grantmaker, but much larger.
• American Heart Association: Largest US nonprofit funding cardiovascular and stroke research through grants and fellowship programs. A much larger incumbent that competes for the same donor and researcher pool across a broader cardiovascular agenda.

Others

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): NIH institute funding cardiovascular research through grants and programs. Not a foundation, but the dominant public funder whose grant mechanisms shape the competitive landscape the foundation operates in.

Regional players

• Heart Foundation (National Heart Foundation of Australia): Australia's largest nonprofit funding cardiovascular research and public health programs. Comparable mission and grantmaking nonprofit model, but operates in a different geography.

Direct peers

• Children's Heart Foundation: US nonprofit dedicated to funding congenital heart defect research, education, and awareness. Closely comparable in mission, target population (children with heart defects), and grant-making nonprofit model.
• Leducq Foundation: Transnational nonprofit foundation funding international collaborative cardiovascular and neurovascular research networks. Comparable grantmaking nonprofit structure targeting cardiovascular science.
• Additional Ventures: Nonprofit foundation focused on congenital heart defect research funding. Closely aligned mission and grantmaking model specifically targeting single ventricle and congenital heart disease research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Fdn4HeartSci
• Facebookfacebook.com/FoundationforHeartScience
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foundation-for-heart-science-ltd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Foundation for Heart Science