PRIVATE FUNDING PARTNERSHIPS KEY TO RESEARCH FOR A CURE: Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships Unveils New Efforts to Advance Groundbreaking Treatments

October 1, 2001  Arlington, VA -- The Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships, a suburban Chicago foundation, plans to seek out pioneering research and validate those groundbreaking scientific projects that may lead to new treatments for cancer and other diseases. During presentations at Comprehensive Cancer Care 2001: Integrating Complementary & Alternative Therapies, the foundation also will highlight upcoming efforts to advance new research by developing unique funding partnerships with creative researchers and dedicated donors.

"We actively seek out scientists at leading research institutions and challenge them to give us their most innovative projects for funding," said the foundation's Chairman George N. Goldman, a Lake Forest, Illinois entrepreneur who has more than 40 years of experience in developing investment partnerships, some with values exceeding $100 million. "Our goal is to apply strategic business principles to philanthropy to validate new research and treatments for cancer and other diseases, and then offer donors an opportunity to join in making breakthrough research concepts a reality," said Mr. Goldman, who will be a presenter at the conference.

Comprehensive Cancer Care 2001: Integrating Complementary & Alternative Therapies is a national conference developed by the Center for Mind-Body Medicine that features the latest information on complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies for cancer. This year's conference, which will be held on October 19-21 in Arlington, Virginia, is co-sponsored by the Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships, National Cancer Institute, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the American Cancer Society, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, The Kanbar Fund for Innovative Cancer Research, and the University of Texas-Houston Medical School.

George Goldman co-founded the Partnerships with his wife, Judith, who is the organization's current president and an 11 year survivor of multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer disease with a 2 1/2 to 5 year life expectancy that kills more than 11,000 annually in the United States. "Once my illness went into remission, it prompted us to expand our outlook and commit funding to form a foundation that will target all catastrophic diseases, especially bone and blood cancers," said Partnerships President Judith Goldman.

The Goldmans initially formed the Judith and George Goldman Foundation Fighting Catastrophic Diseases in November 1998, and began to explore the feasibility of developing a charitable foundation that would establish unique partnerships to fund groundbreaking research that often fails to get government or pharmaceutical company support. This effort culminated in the July 2001 unveiling of the Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships.

To meet the gap in funding for innovative research, the Partnerships offers donors a unique opportunity to target their funds for innovative projects and travel with pioneering scientific investigators on the path to cures. Donors also benefit by being able to target their funding to specific, groundbreaking research projects with creative researchers.

Inspired Ventures

By applying business principles to the research process, the foundation has established a new method of moving promising research forward through the concept of Inspired Ventures. Modeled after the limited partnership and venture capital business models, Inspired Ventures are comprised of dedicated donors, creative research investigators, and the Partnerships investment and ongoing management. Inspired Ventures are developed as follows:

  • A potentially important and unique research project is identified. Scientific advisors are then selected to validate the science.
  • Prospective funding partners are then introduced to the research and researcher. During this introduction, scientific goals and potential benefits are identified so that the philanthropists can both understand and relate to the chosen project(s).
  • The researcher is then given an appropriate funding commitment and work is initiated on the new Venture.
  • The Partnerships closely monitors each researcher's progress and, at designated times during the course of each project, provides evaluation to determine if the Venture should be continued or modified.
  • If the project is progressing according to the plan, the research may move on to the next stage of funding.

According to the Goldmans, the ultimate goal is to develop an Inspired Venture portfolio that will include breakthrough research, healing treatments, and visionary programs from around the country and the world.

Key Partnerships

"Our personal search for answers and for cures has identified several opportunities that have generated partnerships with key research institutions and patient advocates," according to Judith Goldman. Currently, the Partnerships has developed the following programs:

  • Through a relationship with the Mayo Clinic, the Partnerships awarded a $300,000 grant to Vincent Rajkumar, MD, for his research on anti-Angiogenesis, which involves cutting off the blood supply to myeloma cells to stop cancerous cell growth. The foundation's identification of the power of Dr. Rajkumar's concepts has already led to several major commitments by the National Institutes of Health;
  • The Mayo Clinic also worked with the Partnerships to present the Judith and George Goldman Symposium on Innovative Research in Multiple Myeloma, a three-day symposium which brought together leading myeloma researchers with diverse backgrounds from all around the world, providing an important opportunity to brainstorm and share strategies toward conquering this incurable blood disease;
  • The Partnerships is the largest sponsor of Comprehensive Cancer Care 2001. This integrative medicine conference is spearheaded by James Gordon, MD, chair of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy and founder of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, and is considered "the most important alternative medical meeting in America" by New Yorker magazine The conference will feature 80 leading practitioners who will offer three days of workshops for an estimated 2,000 cancer specialists and patients.

"Inspiring new advances in medicine through these partnerships will require the combined efforts of dedicated donors, the research community, advocacy organizations and the government. And by working together, it's my hope that we can reach out to those afflicted with terrible diseases and ultimately give them another chance at life," said Judith Goldman. 

  
 
©Copyright 2001 Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships