Focus Areas

Science

Advancing Scientific Breakthroughs

Guided by Lyda Hill's thesis that "science is the answer," we are committed to advancing scientific breakthroughs by supporting researchers and entrepreneurs across a variety of disciplines. We believe that the intersection of scientific education, research, public health, and commercialization is vital to building and sustaining a healthy society. We believe a more diverse, inclusive STEM workforce is critical to strengthening our future.

Current Themes

A few of the themes we are focused on to accelerate change and impact within science:

Advancing Women and Girls in STEM

Public Health

Basic Research

Biotech Commercialization

Select Portfolio Examples

TOGETHER WE CAN DO MORE

A closer look at a few projects

American Cancer Society – HPV Texas

4 out of 5 people will get the cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV) at some point in their lives. While there is no treatment for HPV, there is a vaccine that can prevent it. Despite the remarkable cancer prevention opportunity HPV vaccination provides, as of 2021, Texas’ vaccination rate was ranked one of the worst in the country.

Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute

Less than 1 in 15 Texans suffering from depression each year receive sufficient care to recover. Tragically, nearly 4,000 people in the state die each year from suicide.

national geographic - women explores grant 1

National Geographic – Women Explorers Grant

Many women are deterred from careers in science due to lack of support and lack of female role models in the field.

Perot Museum of Nature and Science

The mission of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science is to inspire minds through nature and science. The Museum opened its doors in the vibrant Victory Park neighborhood of Dallas in 2012 and inspires curiosity and a love of learning about the natural world and scientific phenomena among visitors of all ages and backgrounds.

UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) – Department of Bioinformatics

Previously understood as the computational branch of genetics and genomics, bioinformatics is fast becoming an overarching science of biomedical information processing.

American Cancer Society – HPV Texas

Science

Intervention

With catalytic support from Lyda Hill Philanthropies, American Cancer Society developed a campaign in North Texas to promote awareness and increase knowledge about the importance of HPV vaccination across health systems by working alongside providers.

Impact

American Cancer Society partnered in Texas with 10 health systems and 130 clinic sites, to increase HPV initiation by 3.7 percentage points and HPV completion by 4.4 percentage points. 436 providers and health care staff were trained on HPV vaccination safety, effectiveness and how to make a quality HPV vaccination recommendation.

Impact Factors

High Risk
Transformational
Scalable Proof of Concept
Measurable Behavior Change

Learn more about American Cancer Society – HPV Texas

Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute

Science

Less than 1 in 15 Texans suffering from depression each year receive sufficient care to recover. Tragically, nearly 4,000 people in the state die each year from suicide.

Intervention

Recognizing that people with mental illness can live productive and successful lives with the necessary treatment and support, Lyda Hill Philanthropies joined The Meadows Foundation by seeding Meadows Mental Policy Institute (“Meadows Institute”) with a grant to formally launch in 2014, additional growth capital in 2018, and the $10 million Lone Star Prize in 2021. The Meadows Institute brings together diverse mental health resources and services to identify and affect the policies, practices, and recommendations that impact how health care is implemented.

Impact

Due to the Meadows Institute’s engagement with the Texas legislature, in 2017, Texas decided to increase overall spending on mental health by over $1.2 billion – a billion over the level spent prior to the Meadows Institute’s engagement. More importantly, this work led to the state enacting its first ever Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan, which created strategic priorities across 19 state agencies and added more than $3 billion in additional biennial behavioral health spending. In 2022, the Meadows Institute announced its Lone Star Depression Challenge to reduce barriers for all Texans with depression, detect their needs earlier, and care for them more effectively through community-based care.

Impact Factors

Catalytic
Evidence-based
Enabling Public Investment
Others Can’t or Won’t

Learn more about Meadows Metal Health Policy Institute

National Geographic – Women Explorers Grant

Science

Many women are deterred from careers in science due to lack of support and lack of female role models in the field.

Intervention

Lyda Hill Philanthropies created the Women and Dependent Care Fund to support the participation of women National Geographic Explorers in activities that increase their visibility in the media and among the public, provide access to vital professional development, and directly fund their fieldwork.

Impact

The grant provided support for 180 women in 34 countries from graduate students to mid-career professionals. They gained new, valuable skills in their field of expertise and felt like stronger, more visible candidates for future career opportunities. National Geographic also utilized grant funds to provide support for dependent and family care for female and male Explorers.

Impact Factors

Catalytic
Others Can’t and Won’t

Learn more about National Geographic

Perot Museum of Nature and Science

Science

Intervention

In addition to Lyda’s significant support for the initial land acquisition, construction, design, and endowment of the Museum, Lyda Hill Philanthropies supports ongoing STEM programs and exhibits onsite and throughout the community. By offering hands-on activities that encourage visitors to ask questions, test hypotheses, and learn through trial and error, the Museum is instrumental in inspiring the workforce of the future.

Impact

Over 10,000,000 minds have been inspired by the Perot Museum since its inception in 2012.

Impact Factors

Catalytic
Collaboration
Creative Capital

Learn more about the Perot Museum of Nature and Science

UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) – Department of Bioinformatics

Science

Previously understood as the computational branch of genetics and genomics, bioinformatics is fast becoming an overarching science of biomedical information processing.

Intervention

In 2015, Lyda Hill Philanthropies provided a gift to create UT Southwestern’s Department of Bioinformatics to bridge research and clinical care. The Department is dedicated to developing UT Southwestern’s capability in bioinformatics, a discipline that provides tools for managing and analyzing the extremely large data sets that are increasingly key to developing new therapeutic strategies and to understanding the foundations of life and the defects that cause disease.

Impact

The Department of Bioinformatics distributes pilot grants to UT Southwestern researchers that leverage innovation in computer science and clinical research and organize an annual U-Hack Med initiative aimed at bringing together bioinformaticians and clinicians from around the country to solve complex biomedical data problems using computational biology.

Impact Factors

Catalytic
Transformative
Others Can’t or Won’t

Learn more about UT Southwestern – Department of Bioinformatics

OUR INITIATIVES

The majority of our work involves supporting change-makers closest to the problems. On rare occasions, we incubate initiatives internally. Harnessing our ability to convene and collaborate across a wide range, our team develops and launches new social impact concepts from conception to execution.

If/Then Initiative Pegasus Park