The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a San Diego-based institution focused largely on biological and ecological research. Founded in 1963 by Jonas Salk, the creator of the inactivated polio vaccine, ¹ the Salk Institution focuses on research in areas like cancer, ² regenerative medicine, ³ and climate change. ⁴

In recent years, the Salk Institute has received substantial outside funding for research to produce carbon-capturing plants to fight climate change, including a $30 million from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s Bezos Earth Fund. ⁵

Founding and History

Scientist Jonas Salk founded the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in 1963. After developing an early polio vaccine in 1957, Salk wanted to create a research institution focused on “the principles of life.” ⁶ With 27 acres of land gifted to him in La Jolla, California, and funding from the National Foundation/March of Dimes, Salk formally launched the Salk Institute in 1963 with five resident fellows and five nonresident fellows. ⁷ As of mid-2023, the Salk Institute has 50 doctors on its faculty and ⁸ 20 staff scientists ⁹ as well as several rotating fellows ¹⁰ and non-resident fellows. ¹¹

Six scientists and researchers associated with the Salk Institute have won Nobel Prizes: Elizabeth Blackburn in 2009, Sydney Brenner in 2002, Renato Dulbecco in 1975, Roger Guillemin in 1977, Robert W. Holley in 1968, and Francis Crick in 1962. ¹²

Research

The primary focus areas of the Salk Institute are aging and regenerative medicine, cancer biology, immune system biology, metabolism and diabetes, neuroscience and neurological disorders, and plant biology. ¹³ Within those subject areas, the Salk Institute researches subjects like potential treatments for AIDS and Alzheimer’s as well as scientific responses to global warming. ¹⁴

For example, within its plant biology focus area, a major project of the Salk Institute is the Harnessing Plants Initiative. Within this initiative, scientists are attempting to develop crops like wheat, rice, and corn that will capture carbon dioxide, believed to be a primary contributor to climate change. Additionally, the Salk Institute is attempting to create wetland plants better at retaining carbon. ¹⁵

The Salk Institute also supports various scientific centers related to its research areas, including the Salk Cancer Center, the Crick-Jacobs Center for Theoretical and Computational Biology, the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research, the Nomis Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, the San Diego Nathan Shock Center focused on aging, and the Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center. ¹⁶

Supporters

March of Dimes provided seed funding for the Salk Institute of Biological Studies and has continued to provide funding to the Institute every year since its inception. ¹⁷ In 2023, the Salk Institute began a seven-year, $750 million fundraising campaign to advance its research. ¹⁸

Some of this fundraising campaign is devoted to climate change. In April 2023, Hess Corporation, an energy company, donated $50 million to the Harnessing Plants Initiative to create carbon-capturing plants. This funding will establish a new Hess Center for Plant Science. ¹⁹ In 2020, the Hess Corporation donated $12.5 million to the same Harnessing Plants Initiative. ²⁰

Likewise in 2020, the Bezos Earth Fund, a left-of-center charitable project launched by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, provided a $30 million donation in 2020 likewise to the Harnessing Plants Initiative. ²¹

In 2019, the Salk Institute received more than $35 million for its climate change research from 10 individuals and organizations. ²² These donations were received through The Audacious Project, a project of the TED Foundation that funds many left-of-center organizations intended to catalyze large-scale scale social impacts. ²³

1. “History of Salk.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/about/history-of-salk/
2. “History of Salk.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/about/history-of-salk/.
3. “History of Salk.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/about/history-of-salk/.
4. “Harnessing Plants Initiative.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/harnessing-plants-initiative/.
5. “Bezos Earth Fund Donates $30 Million to Salk Institute for Innovative Climate Change Research. Salk. November 16, 2020. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/news-release/bezos-earth-fund-donates-30-million-to-salk-institute-for-innovative-climate-change-research/.
6. “History of Salk.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/about/history-of-salk/.
7. “History of Salk.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/about/history-of-salk/.
8. “Scientist Directory: Faculty.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/science/directory/faculty/.
9.  “Scientist Directory: Staff Scientists.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/science/directory/staff-scientists/.
10. “Scientist Directory: Salk Fellows.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/science/directory/salk-fellows/.
11. “Scientist Directory: Nonresident Fellows.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/science/directory/nonresident-fellows/.
12. “Awards and Accolades.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/about/awards-and-accolades/.
13. “History of Salk.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/about/history-of-salk/.
14. “History of Salk.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/about/history-of-salk/.
15. “Harnessing Plants Initiative.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/harnessing-plants-initiative/
16. “Research Centers.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/science/research-centers/.
17. “History of Salk.” Salk. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/about/history-of-salk/.
18. “Salk Institute Receives $50 Million from Hess Corporation to Mitigate Climate Change Through Plant Science.” Salk. April 3, 2023. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/news-release/salk-institute-receives-50-million-from-hess-corporation-to-mitigate-climate-change-through-plant-science/.
19. “Salk Institute Receives $50 Million from Hess Corporation to Mitigate Climate Change Through Plant Science.” Salk. April 3, 2023. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/news-release/salk-institute-receives-50-million-from-hess-corporation-to-mitigate-climate-change-through-plant-science/.
20. “The Salk Institute to Receive $12.5 Million Gift from Hess Corporation to Accelerate Development of Plant-Based Carbon Capture and Storage.” Salk February 24, 2020. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/news-release/the-salk-institute-to-receive-12-5-million-gift-from-hess-corporation-to-accelerate-development-of-plant-based-carbon-capture-and-storage/.
21. “Bezos Earth Fund Donates $30 Million to Salk Institute for Innovative Climate Change Research. Salk. November 16, 2020. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/news-release/bezos-earth-fund-donates-30-million-to-salk-institute-for-innovative-climate-change-research/.
22. “Salk Institute Initiative to Receive More Than $35 Million to Fight Climate Change.” Salk. April 16, 2019. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/news-release/salk-institute-initiative-to-receive-more-than-35-million-to-fight-climate-change/.
23.  “Salk Institute Initiative to Receive More Than $35 Million to Fight Climate Change.” Salk. April 16, 2019. Accessed May 25, 2023. https://www.salk.edu/news-release/salk-institute-initiative-to-receive-more-than-35-million-to-fight-climate-change/.