The Charitable Remainder Trust became the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation in 1998. Under the direction of Sue Van, its CEO & President, the Foundation continues Mr. Coulter’s practice of providing risk capital for innovative initiatives through its’ grants. The Foundation provides leading scientific and medical societies the resources to develop distinctive educational programs designed to improve the quality of care in resource-limited areas. Its’ university-based translational research grant programs establish a business-like process to accelerate academic innovations to the marketplace. The Foundation also supports Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations, establishing one cohesive community, promoting collaboration and partnerships.
Guiding Principles
As a tribute to the ideals of its sole benefactor, the Foundation’s grant programs are designed to address the under-served, under-resourced, and/or under-represented. By providing risk capital, expertise, and guidance the Foundation helps innovative initiatives realize their potential.
Our Programs
Coulter College
Coulter College is an annual event hosted by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation for its Coulter Translational Research Award grantees. The program provides a multi-disciplinary exploration of topics that academic researchers must consider when “translating” their innovations. Topics include patent law, working with the technology transfer office, follow-on funding sources, regulatory and reimbursement strategies, and more. To help bring this crucial information and insights to audiences of innovators and entrepreneurs, the program is offered to Biomedical Engineering Senior Design Teams and their faculty advisors.
Coulter Investment Forum
Each year, the Coulter Investment Forum showcases between 25 and 30 start-up companies with life science innovations de-risked using the Coulter Commercialization Process.
Translational Research
Wallace Coulter applied his highly inquisitive mind and engineering talent to solve unmet clinical needs. Wallace was a biomedical engineer before it became a formal discipline. Following Wallace’s philosophy of “science serving humanity”, Sue Van established the Foundation’s pioneering translational research programs. The programs utilize best practices of industry to accelerate academic innovations to the market to improve patient care. Fondly remembering her time working with Wallace, she said, “I wanted to make up for all of the research and development projects I cut when I was CFO of Coulter Corporation.”
Colleges, Universities & Societies
Committed to funding programs that are consistent with, and that will serve as a tribute to, its benefactor, the Foundation supports select colleges, universities and professional medical societies. Each organization has a connection with Mr. Coulter, the guiding principal of the Foundation, and his values. The following describes those organizations and activities:
Sharing the American Dream
Growing up a small town American kid, Wallace Coulter became a citizen of the world. His business reflected it, his associations reflected it, his prized collections reflected it. He loved the smell of a particular deli in Paris, the climate of the Caribbean, and the culture of China.
His interest in Asia began in the late 1930s, as an X-Ray equipment representative for General Electric. He was based in Manila, Shanghai and Singapore; which served as a springboard to further travel, as he ventured through large cities and remote villages. The experience had a profound effect on Wallace, as he developed an interest and fondness for the art, food and society. His jade collection became a valuable reflection for his fondness of the Asian culture. As an international crossroad, Shanghai also allowed him to meet business people from the four corners of the globe. It cemented his world-view of business, and became the foundation of his worldwide diagnostic corporation.
As years passed, his affinity for the region grew; and he returned, on many occasions, for both business and pleasure. Consistent with his interest for the region, Wallace had a special affection for Asian-Americans, as well. He appreciated the hardships they overcame to achieve success and realize the American Dream.
To commemorate that interest, the Foundation began reaching out to Asian communities across the United States. The Asian community has historically been undercounted, and therefore under served on both state and federal levels.
Giving voice to the Asian-American community, the Foundation assisted with both money and expertise, in creating a more accurate census count. Public Service Announcements were created in various Asian languages, compelling the local communities to comply with the census. More recently, the Coulter Foundation created the Coulter Consortium, a collection of national, state and local Asian organizations. The consortium will collaborate on shared issues, allowing them to maximize resources in order to achieve greater impact on the health, education and welfare of all Asian- Americans.