Earlier this year, UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation welcomed Gregory and Nicolet Weimer to lead Children’s Trust as co-chairs. Children’s Trust is a group of emerging philanthropists dedicated to supporting UPMC Children’s most promising pediatric researchers.
Powering Innovative Research
Federal research funding is competitive and can be unpredictable. Philanthropic funding empowers our researchers to quickly respond to the most critical needs in pediatrics.
“Nicolet and I got involved in Children’s Trust in 2019,” says Gregory. “We had two kids of our own at that point, and we started to see how [UPMC] Children’s Hospital had an impact on so many people’s lives in Pittsburgh, and research is a such a big part of that.”
Every day at UPMC Children’s, a research team of more than 500 scientists and physicians is working hard to unlock the care and cures of tomorrow.
Scientists are investigating everything from improved treatments for pediatric heart failure, to new therapies targeting aggressive brain tumors. Learn more about the power of pediatric research at UPMC Children’s.
10 Years of Impact
For the last 10 years, Trust members have pooled their charitable resources to directly impact the future of research by voting to award grants at the annual Grantmakers Meeting.
Each year, Children’s Trust gathers for the annual Grantmakers Meeting. Emerging researchers at UPMC Children’s pitch pioneering projects to members of Children’s Trust for a chance to win seed funding to kick start their research. Members of the Trust stay informed with the winners’ research through quarterly updates that allow them to see their philanthropic contributions in action.
Trust members have contributed $920,000 to pediatric research and awarded grants to 21 researchers since 2015.
Historically, Trust members have helped to advance innovation in the areas like Ewing sarcoma, brain injury recovery, newborn bacterial infections, expanding access to healthcare, and so much more.
“You’ve probably been touched in some way, whether it’s a family member or a friend,” says Nicolet. “Research is important, and we can make a difference just by being a part of something that’s bigger than us.”
Join Children’s Trust
“We would love nothing more than to have more individuals join us on this journey to further research for children, create connections in our community and allow conversations to become normalized about how we can help children in need,” say Gregory and Nicolet.
Take an active role in preventing, treating, and curing pediatric diseases by becoming a Children’s Trust member. Learn more and get started today.