In the coffee forests of Ethiopia’s Oromia region, groups of women gather regularly to pool their savings, plan their futures, and exchange ideas. These Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) have become spaces where women discuss not only ways to improve their financial security, but also sustainable farming techniques, forest stewardship, and family planning. Savings … Continued
Work-life balance is a challenge for any young professional in the midst of a demanding career. The demands of pursuing that career while raising children can be even more complicated. For academic scientists, the decision to start a family often coincides with one of the most critical periods in their careers: launching their labs. As … Continued
It’s clearly a great site for a new park. From above, Salinas, California is a compact ring of tightly packed urban buildings surrounded by a mosaic of green and tan farmland. At the center is Carr Lake Basin, 480-acres of dry lakebed. Privately owned, this land has been largely undeveloped with only a few storage … Continued
A new research vessel, R/V David Packard, has just arrived at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) headquarters in Moss Landing, California. This ship will expand MBARI’s capacity to pursue bold marine research initiatives and transform ocean science and engineering. The ship is named after David Packard, founder of the Packard Foundation and MBARI, … Continued
Along the iconic landscape of California’s Central Coast, the Chumash People have lived in harmony with the land and the sea for thousands of years. For the Chumash, the Pacific Ocean, or “Grandmother Ocean,” is a revered elder who nurtures and provides life, emphasizing the importance of stewardship and respect for nature. Last year, the … Continued
Ocean ecosystems are remarkably resilient. When coastal communities invest in restoring and protecting marine areas, they experience more sustainable fisheries, stronger local economies, and reliable food security. At the same time, these efforts have far-reaching impacts, protecting marine biodiversity, reducing storm damage, and capturing carbon to mitigate climate change—benefits that extend to everyone. But these … Continued
When Dr. David Baker opened his brand-new lab at the University of Washington in 1994, one of the first things he did was apply for a Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering. At the time, the lab was small and experimenting with protein folding, understanding how amino acid chains fold into three-dimensional shapes that determine … Continued
Today, Congress certified the results of the 2024 election. This marks the completion of an election cycle that faced many challenges, including foreign interference and threats of violence. Yet despite all of this, we can take pride that our elections were executed safely, efficiently, and effectively – thanks in large part to the tremendous work … Continued
When the FDA approved the first birth control pill in 1960, it was a paradigm-altering moment in reproductive healthcare, giving women greater control over their reproductive lives. Sixty-four years later, another milestone arrived. For the first time in the United States, a daily birth control pill is available without a prescription, Opill. Opill is more … Continued
At the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, our call is to create and support enduring solutions to the interconnected challenges that face humanity and nature. Central to this mission is support for scientific inquiry, which often seeks to answer fundamental questions about the world and is essential for laying the groundwork for future breakthroughs and … Continued