What Livermore Lab Foundation does

Livermore Lab Foundation (LLF) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2016 and headquartered in Livermore, California. It operates as the key philanthropic partner to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), channeling public and private donations, grants, and gifts into scientific research, STEM fellowships, and community initiatives conducted at LLNL. The foundation does not develop proprietary technology; rather, it serves as a funding and program-delivery vehicle that connects donors and partners with LLNL's scientific capabilities in supercomputing, biosciences, climate/atmospheric science, and the National Ignition Facility.

LLF's programmatic portfolio is organized around four impact areas: (1) neurodegenerative disease research, where it has deployed nearly $1M since 2019; (2) Earth and atmospheric science solutions, supported by a two-year, $1M University of California climate grant awarded in 2023; (3) fusion innovation and energy, linked to LLNL's December 2022 ignition milestone; and (4) STEM fellowships, including named programs such as the John S. Foster Jr. Fellowship, the Fusion Fellowship, the Davis Family Fellowship, and the HEDS Fellowship. In 2025 the foundation supported 40+ student fellows across these programs, and its Climate in the Classroom outreach reached more than 5,000 K-12 students in California from 2020–2025.

The organization's business model is pure philanthropy: LLF is donation-funded, holds a Charity Navigator four-star rating and a GuideStar Platinum Transparency Seal, and is governed by a board of directors drawn from LLNL leadership, University of California officials, former California legislators, and industry executives. It reaches donors and supporters through a community-led go-to-market motion anchored on annual fundraising campaigns (currently the $1M "Science Today, Science Tomorrow" campaign), in-person events such as the August 2026 Decade of Impact Celebration, digital marketing, and partnerships with universities, regional innovation groups, and advocacy organizations. Operational scale remains small, with four named staff members (Executive Director, Financial Controller, Program Associate, Communications & Marketing Manager).

Name

Livermore Lab Foundation

Legal name

Livermore Lab Foundation

Website

https://livermorelabfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Livermore Lab Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit philanthropic partner to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, channeling donations into neurodegenerative disease research, climate science, fusion energy, and STEM fellowships at LLNL.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Research Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Scientific research philanthropy
• STEM fellowship programs
• National laboratory fundraising
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Climate science education

Headquarters

HQ city

Livermore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: The foundation receives charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and organizations. Donations support various focus areas including neurodisease research, climate science, fusion energy, and STEM fellowships. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Livermore Lab Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit philanthropic foundation that raises charitable donations and grants to fund scientific research, student fellowships, and STEM education initiatives at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It administers named fellowship programs, channels donor-restricted funds to research in neurodegenerative disease, climate science, and fusion energy, and operates the Climate in the Classroom K-12 outreach program.

Product overview

The Livermore Lab Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves as the key philanthropic partner to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Rather than offering technology products, the Foundation provides mechanisms for public and private investments, grants, and philanthropic gifts that support research, student fellowships, STEM outreach, education, and community initiatives. The Foundation's primary offerings include managing various named fellowship programs (STEM fellowships, Fusion fellowships, John S. Foster Jr. Fellowship, Davis Family Fellowships, Carbon Fellows, Life Sciences Fellows, Data Science Fellows), funding research initiatives in climate/earth science, neurodegenerative disease research, and fusion energy, and facilitating partnerships between donors and LLNL scientists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• John S. Foster Jr. Fellowship: Undergraduate fellowship supporting rising seniors in learning about science or engineering projects important to national security, honoring Dr. John S. Foster Jr.
• Fusion Fellowship
• Davis Family Fellowship
• William B. Shuler Fund for Neurodegenerative Research
• HEDS Fellowship
• Climate in the Classroom

Products and services

• John S. Foster Jr. Undergraduate Fellowship
• Fusion Fellowship
• Davis Family Fellowship
• HEDS Fellowship
• STEM Fellowship Programs
• Climate in the Classroom
• Philanthropic Donation Funds (Neurodegenerative Disease, Earth & Atmospheric Science, Fusion Innovation, STEM Fellowships)

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly $1M in neurodegenerative disease research funded since 2019
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• California Foundation for Commerce and Education (CFCE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership with CFCE to release AI primer for California state lawmakers. CFCE is affiliated with California Chamber of Commerce and provided support for the science-based AI policy brief.
• Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership GroupminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Co-hosting the Energy Unleashed Summit at Bankhead Theater in Livermore. Partnership includes other regional partners: City of Livermore, i-GATE Innovation Hub, StartUp Tri-Valley, Daybreak Labs, and Maroon Research Institute.
• SPARC TheaterminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026LLF sponsors SPARC Theater's Science@Play series with theme 'An Exploration of AI the Threat and the Creative.' Supports community dialogue around AI in creative endeavors.
• Girls Who CodeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration with LLNL and Girls Who Code for Early Internship Program supporting young women from Livermore and Tracy high schools pursuing Computer Science degrees.
• California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023MOU signed in September 2023 for collaboration on advanced and clean-energy technologies, research opportunities, and community partnerships. Includes student fellowships, innovation lab, faculty exchanges, and STEM programs for Kern County region.
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1952LLF serves as the independent, key philanthropic partner to LLNL, providing mechanisms for public and private investments that support research, student fellows, STEM outreach, education and community initiatives. LLNL is a U.S. Department of Energy national security laboratory established in 1952 with over 2,000 PhDs concentrated in one square mile.
• Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC (LLNS)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLLNS is the managing contractor of LLNL. LLF board members include representatives from LLNL and University of California governance structures.
• University of California National Laboratories (UCNL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUC system body responsible for governance oversight of LLNL. Brett Henrikson serves as Chief of Staff and Senior Director for UC National Laboratories division. June Yu serves as Interim VP for UCNL.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Simons Foundation: Large private foundation funding mathematics, physical sciences, life sciences, and neuroscience research — directly relevant as an incumbent science grantmaker overlapping LLF's neurodegenerative research focus.
• Kavli Foundation: Established science philanthropy supporting basic research in astrophysics, nanoscience, neuroscience, and theoretical physics — overlapping LLF's neuroscience and fusion/physics interest areas but operating at much larger scale.
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation: Major science-focused philanthropy funding basic research, STEM higher education, and scientific institutions — a broader, more established incumbent operating in the same grantmaking space as LLF.

Direct peers

• Argonne National Laboratory (UChicago Argonne LLC): DOE Office of Science national laboratory managed by UChicago Argonne LLC with active philanthropic giving, fellowship, and industry-partnership programs — directly analogous lab-foundation structure.
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Foundation: Operated by Battelle, PNNL runs comparable philanthropic and STEM-outreach programs tied to a DOE national laboratory. Similar structure of donor-funded research, fellowships, and community engagement.
• Berkeley Lab Foundation: Independent 501(c)(3) philanthropic partner to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, also governed by the University of California system. Operates with an overlapping financial controller and supports similar STEM fellowships and climate/energy research.
• MIT Lincoln Laboratory: Federally funded research and development center with an affiliated philanthropic and STEM-engagement model supporting national-security-relevant science, fellowships, and community outreach.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (UT-Battelle): DOE national laboratory managed by UT-Battelle with philanthropic and STEM workforce programs spanning energy, climate, and computational sciences — comparable lab-foundation engagement model.
• LANL Foundation: Philanthropic foundation supporting Los Alamos National Laboratory and northern New Mexico communities through STEM education, scholarships, and community grants — directly comparable lab-foundation model to LLF.
• Brookhaven National Laboratory (Brookhaven Science Associates): DOE Office of Science national laboratory managed by Brookhaven Science Associates, with research in climate, energy, and physics that intersects LLF's focus areas and offers a similar lab-affiliated philanthropic model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LivermoreLF
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSZHbxY5wvqohA7gLPQDsUw
• Facebookfacebook.com/LivermoreLabFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/livermore-lab-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Livermore Lab Foundation