We pursue our mission through grantmaking and programs in four areas:
Bioscience
Building Arizona as a global center for research and commercialization in the biosciences.
Flinn Scholars
Providing world-class undergraduate education in partnership with Arizona’s public universities.
A privately-endowed philanthropic foundation benefiting Arizona.
The Flinn Foundation was established in 1965 by Dr. Robert S. and Irene P. Flinn. Its mission is to improve the quality of life in Arizona to benefit future generations.
To achieve this mission, the Foundation aims to: advance Arizona’s bioscience sector; enhance undergraduate education for high-achieving students at the state’s public universities; elevate the fiscal and creative capacity of the state’s arts and culture organizations; and strengthen civic life and state-level civic leadership in Arizona.
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Providing no-cost meeting space to Arizona nonprofits.
The Flinn Foundation Educational Conference Center features two meeting rooms available to nonprofit member organizations closely aligned with the Foundation’s specific areas of interest in the biosciences, health care, education, civic leadership, and the arts. More about the Conference Center
NEWS AND UPDATES
Bioscience
ASU’s Mehdi Nikkhah receives Flinn grant to accelerate Glioblastoma therapeutics
Mehdi Nikkhah, Ph.D., an Arizona State University professor of biomedical engineering, is the principal investigator on a team developing a “GBM-on-a-Chip” platform that closely mimics the human Glioblastoma microenvironment for use in drug development. Nikkhah says this technology will allow for the testing of multiple compounds and therapeutic drugs in a faster and safer manner […]
Bioscience
U of A College of Medicine-Phoenix researcher developing diagnostic for top gynecological cancer in U.S.
Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz, Ph.D., of the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix was one of seven researchers awarded a $100,000 grant from the Flinn Foundation Translational Seed Grants Program in 2026 for her work in endometrial cancer. Herbst-Kralovetz said she is developing a vaginal swab that can detect the cancer at an early stage through molecular […]
Bioscience
Flinn Foundation increases funding, opportunities for bioscience research, entrepreneurship programs
Application period begins Monday, Aug. 3, for Translational Seed Grants, Bioscience Entrepreneurship programs Apply for Translational Seed Grants Program by Friday, Sept. 11. Apply for Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program by Friday, Oct. 30. Two flagship Flinn Foundation bioscience programs that have supported Arizona-based translational research and entrepreneurship for more than a decade are increasing their funding and providing […]
Bioscience
Story behind medical device startup is personal for Flagstaff entrepreneur
Inspired by personal family hardship, bioscience entrepreneur Whitney Slightham tells the story of the founding of Ateleva from the Moonshot Flagstaff Campus. Ateleva is developing a targeted lung therapy to help critical care patients wean off ventilators faster. The minimally invasive airway platform allows clinicians to reopen collapsed tissue while preserving the surrounding healthy lung […]