Jeffrey Epstein: Medical Funding

Jeffrey Epstein began his eponymous foundation with the mission of funding cutting edge science and the work of scientists such as Stephen Hawking. Over the years, the Foundation’s mission has evolved and to provide funding to a wide range of fields.. One such area is medical research. Specifically, the Foundation has provided grants and funding for numerous projects, including genetically driven cancer treatments, vascular cures for Alzheimers and many others.

Parkinson's Disease and Music

Parkinson's disease affects and damages the nervous system. People with the disorder gradually lose control of their movements. There is no cure for the disease, but many people can control their symptoms with medication. In July of 2012, Epstein’s Foundation provided support to the Institute for Music and Brain Science at Harvard for a clinical study that examined the effect of music with a medium tempo and strong metrical rhythms on symptoms of Parkinson's. The study demonstrated that when the music played ambiently, patients had a marked improvement in gait, visuomotor skills, and rapid alternating movements.

Crohn's Disease

Another project that recently received funding from Epstein is the Kid's Pediatric Network. The program was developed by the Crohn and Colitis Foundation of America. The Kid's Pediatric Network is a network of hospitals and clinics, working together to create the most comprehensive database of  bacterial factors that contribute to the development of Crohn's disease or Colitis in children. Both Crohns and Colitis are chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, the exact causes of which are still largely unknown.

Due to the Kid’s Pediatric Network, researchers are increasingly able to look out for commonly listed bacterial causes, test for them and then of course, treat them with the right course of antibiotics.

Breast Cancer

Epstein has also recently provided funding to the Dubin Breast Center at Mount  Sinai Hospital in New York City. The Dubin Breast Center provides comprehensive breast cancer care and is one of only a few medical centers in the world offering  3D mammography to women.  Compared to traditional 2D machines, 3D mammography captures images of tissue notnormally seen. 3D mammograms also reduce the risk for false positives and gives doctors a clearer picture of the growth and behavior of tumors.

JeffreyEpstein is proud to provide funding for medical research that advances human understanding. With funding from The Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation, many small or cutting edge projects are able to break new ground in their respectivefields. 

Jeffrey Epstein: Supporting the Virgin Islands

The Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation provides support and funding to a number of youth initiatives and educational programs across the US Virgin Islands. Founded in 2000 on the island of St. Thomas and based there today, the Foundation has always had a substantial interest in supporting the local community and beyond. Today, the Foundation has supported a wide range of programs, from the Caribbean's first Head Start program to youth sports teams. In addition to supporting a wide range of initiatives on the islands, the Foundation also holds several conferences that explore big ideas in science.

Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands

In 2011, the Foundation provided funding to the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands after a group of disabled citizens in St. Thomas, won a lawsuit against the government to improve conditions for disabled citizens. The lawsuit addressed the lack of disability access in the Islands' schools, public buildings, and restaurants and for secluding the disabled. The Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands  has used the Foundation’s support to further empower the disabled of the Virgin Islands. Some of the programs the DRCVI have initiated include improving access to public buildings, increasing the number of disabled people who vote, and reducing the neglect and abuse of the disabled.

Sports in the Caribbean

A number of sports programs in the Virgin Islands have received Epstein’s support.

●      St. Thomas Baseball Explorers. The St. Thomas Explorers is a baseball program intended for under-privileged children in the Virgin Islands and for children who are juvenile offenders. The Explorers use sports as a tool for teaching discipline, hope and  empowerment.

●      Football and Life Skills Camp. Epstein has provided funding for the first football training camp on the Islands. The Camp is a part of YouthLine America, a non-profit foundation in the United States, and has provided football coaching and training to over 700 young people in the Caribbean since it started in 2009. The focus of the camp isn't just football. It also provides financial literacy, training and mentorship.

Education in the Caribbean

Head Start programs for early childhood education, were created across the United States by an act of Congress in 1981. While the programs are common on the Continental US, they were non-existant in the Caribbean. The first Head Start program in the Caribbean was launched in the US Virgin Islands in 2003 by the Lutheran Services Society in St. Croix. Today, the program serves lower-income children on across the Virgin Islands as well for orphans under the care of LSS.

The Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundationprovided funding to the Caribbean's first Head Start program in 2012.  Financier Jeffrey Epsteinsees the intrinsic value of early education for children, and today, children in the Virgin Islands have an increased opportunity for a life of achievement and success.

Jeffrey Epstein: Educational Programs

Cuts to public funding for education means that many programs need to find support and funding from private donors. The Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation is proud to provide needed funding to worthy educational programs and schools across the country. While the initial focus of the Foundation was science education , it has since widened its scope and now provides funding to a wide range of educational programs in other fields.

Bard Early College Program

The Bard High School Early College program consists of three public high schools, one in Manhattan, one in Queens and one in Newark, NJ. The schools have been cited by President Obama as model schools for the country. They've also recently received funding from Epstein. Although the schools are not charter schools, they are run with the efficiency expected of a charter school.

Bard High School Early College schools have a considerably smaller number of students than most high schools. Only 600 students attend each school. The student to teacher ratio is also surprisingly low for a public school, 20 to 1. Although the schools must meet Regent exam requirements the same as other public schools, they are given more autonomy and freedom when it comes to planning their curricula.

What also sets the Bard Schools apart, is that students graduate not only with a high school diploma, but with 60 college credits and an associates degree in the liberal arts and sciences from Bard College.

Admission to Bard High School is based on a student's writing ability and grades. It's a competitive program and fewer than 10 percent of students who apply are accepted each year.

In 2012, Epstein also provided substantial funding to the Maya Angelou charter schools in Washington, DC. The charter schools were started in 1997 for teenagers who were in the juvenile justice system. Since then, the charter schools have grown and now include four schools, including a program for older students. Currently, over 600 students attend the four schools. The graduation and college acceptance rate for the Maya Angelou Charter schools is considerably higher than for regular schools in the DC area.

JeffreyEpstein notes that 73 percent of the school's graduates attend college and 60 percent go on to earn a college degree. The Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation is proud to have been able to support such a worthy school. 

Jeffrey Epstein

After decades of planning, the Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation was launched in the year 2000.  The Foundation originally provided support to scientists and science education programs, but has since expanded its scope. Over the last several years, it has provided funding to a number of worthy organizations devoted to medical research, international affairs, economics, early education and the arts.

Program for Evolutionary Dynamics

The Program for Evolutionary Dynamics got started in 2003 with a $30 million grant to Harvard University from Epstein. Dr. Martin Nowak serves as the director of the program. Dr. Nowak is a Professor of Mathematics and Theoretical Biology at Harvard. Under his direction, the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics examines evolution through the lenses of mathematics and biochemistry. Since its founding, the program has made headway in studying the origin of life and RNA sequences, as well as studying the kinetic energy of human cancer cells.

Medical Research

Over the last several years, the Foundation has provided support for medical research programs throughout the United States. Organizations that have received funding include:

●      The National Multiple Sclerosis Society

●      The Crohn and Colitis Foundation of America

●      Mount Sinai Hospital

●      Alzheimer's Association

●      Dubin Breast Center

The Foundation has also financed the American Cancer Society to support a number of innovative research projects looking into new ways to treat cancer.

International Peace Accords

Another area that the Foundation has expanded into over the past few years is supporting international peace efforts and accords. The Foundation supports a number of non-governmental organizations worldwide as well as peace initiatives. A major organization that it has funded is the International Peace Institute, a non-profit think tank, with origins in the United Nations. The IPI is devoted to preventing and settling conflict within states and among different states. It played an instrumental role in the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993.

Supporting Education

Supporting science education was part of the original mission for the foundation. That part of the mission has developed over time and the Foundation now provides support for a number of educational efforts, ranging from economics, business and social sciences to the arts. In addition to these subjects, the Foundation also provides support for  a number of youth initiatives. Youth programs it has supported in 2011 include Bard High School Early College, Kidscope, Inc, and CAHS French Club.

A great number of worthy organizations have received support from the JeffreyEpstein VI Foundation. Supporting scientific research, education and endeavors still remains at the core of the Foundation’s mission. However Jeffrey Epstein and his Foundation seek to encourage excellence wherever they find it.