FasterCures - Philanthropy Advisory Service

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Philanthropy Advisory Service

The FasterCures Philanthropy Advisory Service (PAS) is an online marketplace that aims to improve global access to medical solutions by informing and increasing the flow of philanthropic support to nonprofit disease research organizations. PAS is an accessible and transparent resource created for the medical research philanthropy community.

In its pilot phase, PAS features the latest medical research developments and objective analysis of key nonprofit disease research organizations in Alzheimer’s disease, malaria, multiple sclerosis, and tuberculosis.

Recent Developments:
1) Archived Web Briefing on Philanthropy Advisory Service Assessments of Select Alzheimer's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis Organizations
2) Web Briefing Slide Presentation
3) PAS Releases Malaria and Tuberculosis Reports featuring Research Developments and Orgganizational Profiles

Meeting Market Needs

Philanthropic investment in medical research, though small in size, plays a unique, critical role in finding medical solutions. Philanthropic capital fills funding gaps in research that is high-risk but also with potential of high-return. For some diseases, nonprofit funding models are virtually the only source for innovative research. And yet, there is lack of independent, reliable data about disease research – a major barrier to accelerating support for such important efforts.

Helping Philanthropists Make Informed Investment Decisions

PAS was created to help philanthropists make informed investment decisions and have in place a mechanism to assess the return on their philanthropy. PAS will allow philanthropists to:

examine the nonprofit medical research landscape so they can direct their philanthropy to all the right places;

assess the lay of the land — organization by organization — so they can choose the nonprofit organization whose medical research goals and strategies match their own; and

identify where their money can make a critical difference in finding new cures.

PAS was designed for philanthropists, asset managers of a foundation or family office, as well as philanthropy advisors or service providers to clients wanting to make more impactful investments in medical research. It will also provide value to multilateral organizations, government entities, and nongovernmental organizations involved in medical research.

Educating Philanthropists About Nonprofit Disease Research

PAS promotes among potential donors a “continuum of cure” perspective that is critical to developing cures for deadly and debilitating diseases. PAS features information on domestic and global diseases and the organizations involved in researching cures for these diseases.

Disease reports help identify gaps in funding for critical research areas. It provides information such as disease burden and relative need, areas of research, commercial landscape, and nonprofit activities. Reports are developed by program analysts who apply utmost rigor and discipline to collecting the most current and accurate scientific data available. Scientific advisory boards (SAB) comprised of leading disease researchers review all PAS disease reports to ensure content objectivity, guarantee data quality, and enhance information credibility and authority.

Organization reports help philanthropists align their goals and expectations with the capabilities and approaches of the research organizations they support. It includes information such as strategy and grants management process, research portfolio, management connectivity, governance functions, financial structure, and fundraising practices. Reports are developed by analysts who apply unbiased metrics that help identify the practices and attributes of nonprofit disease research groups that are believed to accelerate high-impact biomedical research. Organizational review boards comprised of national leaders in the field, as well as the SAB, review organization reports to ensure objectivity.

Facilitating an Information Marketplace

The PAS pilot phase is available to all registered Premier Users. Those directly involved in medical research philanthropy are invited to become Premier Users and have free access for a full year to PAS resources, including:

four expert-reviewed disease profiles for Alzheimer’s disease, malaria, multiple sclerosis, and tuberculosis that provide up-to-date information on disease burden, research, commercial and nonprofit activities

profiles of disease research organizations that provide information on strategy, research portfolio, management teams, and financial trends

independent assessment of each organization’s operational performance and contributions to the greater research community

searchable databases of research projects and management biographies

decision-making tools that compare organizations according to key data points

real-time communications on the developments, trends, and news in medical research

links to other philanthropy resources

PAS was developed by FasterCures and supported by grants from the Pioneer Portfolio of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

For more information, visit www.philanthropyadvisoryservice.org or contact Melissa Stevens, Project Director, at (202) 336-8915, mstevens@fastercures.org.