$15 Million Gift from David Koch Jr. Foundation Launches Kidney Health Innovation Program at Stanford Medicine

Generous gift will advance research to shape the future of care for children with kidney disease

Sept. 30, 2025

PALO ALTO, Calif.—The David Koch Jr. Foundation has made a $15 million gift to Stanford Medicine to accelerate discoveries in pediatric nephrology. This gift launches the Kidney Health Innovation Program, a bold initiative led by the Department of Pediatrics and the Maternal and Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI) to expand research, enhance clinical care, and transform kidney health for children and young adults—with lifelong benefit.

More than 35 million people in the U.S. live with kidney disease, which severely impacts quality of life, potentially leading to kidney failure, dialysis, and eventually transplantation. New insights in prevention, early detection, and treatment have the potential to improve care and outcomes for patients everywhere.

“There has never been a more promising time to redefine the future for children with kidney disease,” says Mary Leonard, MD, MSCE, Arline and Pete Harman Professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics, director of MCHRI at Stanford Medicine, Adalyn Jay Physician-in-Chief at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, and a pediatric nephrologist. “Thanks to this generous gift from the David Koch Jr. Foundation, we’ll be able to mobilize groundbreaking research across the Stanford ecosystem to revolutionize how we understand and treat kidney disease.”

Heading the new program are two experts at the forefront of kidney research and patient care: Sophia Giang, MD, clinical assistant professor of pediatric nephrology, and Richard Lafayette, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Stanford Glomerular Disease Center.  

A key component of the gift will establish the David Koch Jr. Foundation Kidney Health Innovation Awards, administered by MCHRI. The awards will provide multi-year catalyst grants to Stanford faculty members to fuel collaborative research across diverse fields such as immunology and genetics. The MCHRI has announced an open call for grant applications.

 “Kidney disease poses serious challenges for children and their families,” says David Koch Jr. “We’re excited about the potential to drive novel research that can lead to new treatments and ultimately improve quality of life for young patients.”

Additionally, the program will enable faculty to partner with renowned researchers from around the world. An annual symposium will bring together Stanford experts and national leaders to share their findings and spark cross-disciplinary teamwork.

Stanford will also promote further collaborations with NIH-funded nephrology consortia, including the Nephrotic Syndrome Study Network (NEPTUNE), Cure Glomerulonephropathy (CureGN), and PedsNet, expanding researchers’ access to data and biorepositories.

The program builds on the strengths of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, which consistently ranks among the top 10 pediatric nephrology programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. On average the hospital performs more kidney transplants than any other U.S. children’s hospital, with a 100% survival rate after one and three years.

One major breakthrough at Packard Children’s is the dual immune/solid organ transplant (DISOT) procedure, developed by Alice Bertaina, MD, PhD, and Paul Grimm, MD, PhD. The first-of-its-kind approach is a two-step process that involves a stem cell transplant followed by a kidney transplant. This is curative for some immunological diseases and allows for life free from long-term immunosuppressant medication. The procedure has been called the ‘holy grail’ of transplantation.  

A previous gift from the David Koch Jr. Foundation has supported this protocol, funding research to make transplant possible for children and adults with histories of autoimmunity and prior transplant failure. Soon, thanks to this pioneering research, many more patients will be able to receive organ transplants without lifelong immunosuppression and its devastating complications—transforming what was once impossible into a new standard of care. 

“Philanthropic support of novel research and our world-class faculty is changing the trajectory of kidney disease, particularly for pediatric patients,” says Lloyd Minor, MD, Carl and Elizabeth Naumann Dean of the Stanford School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at Stanford University. “Countless children and families benefit from the discoveries made here at Stanford, and gifts like this are central to our impact.”

Click here about applying to the grant.

Media Contact

Elizabeth Valente
EValente@StanfordChildrens.org
(650) 269-5401

About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu.

About the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health

The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health is here to unlock philanthropy to transform health for all kids and moms, in Northern California and around the world. We are champions for children—driving extraordinary care for families today, while fueling research, discovery, and change in our health care systems for a better tomorrow. Our Foundation raises funds for child and maternal health at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and the Stanford School of Medicine. We also shape and support programs that make health care more accessible for children with complex medical needs. Learn more at LPFCH.org.