Organization Overview
The James S. McDonnell Foundation is a St. Louis, Missouri, based private philanthropic institution established in 1950 by aerospace pioneer James S. McDonnell to “improve the quality of life.” It does so by contributing to the generation of new knowledge through support of research and scholarship, and by encouraging knowledge-based solutions to important societal issues, especially in the St. Louis region. The Foundation has supported scholarly pursuits by providing funding in such fields as cognitive education, neuroscience, brain cancer, and complex systems. The Foundation sought to improve the quality of life for generations to come by providing the financial backbone of the discoveries of today. JSMF is shifting its worldwide focus of research in behavioral and biomedical sciences to contributions in economic development and mobility, life sciences, PK-12 STEM education, and workforce development specifically within the St. Louis Metropolitan area.
