Fact Sheet

Robert Alonzo Welch was born February 15, 1872, in Newberry, South Carolina. In 1886, at the age of 14, he left South Carolina and, alone, came to Houston, Texas to establish his adult life and career.

He became interested in the oil and sulfur business during their early development and, through sound judgment, untiring energy and patience, he amassed a substantial fortune. He never married, but was devoted to his immediate family.

In 1952, at 80 years of age, he died and left an estate of approximately $25,000,000 to be used to create a charitable Foundation to support research in chemistry.

Through Mr. Welch's benevolence, The Welch Foundation currently supports a broad research program designed to benefit humankind through chemical research.

1. Research Grants – Currently 21 Texas universities and colleges have grants with approximately 1,600 persons involved in research under the program.
2. Departmental Grants - The program encourages students at 43 colleges and universities to study chemistry and to continue into graduate work, industry and other aspects of chemistry.
3. Welch Award in Chemistry - Each year, the Foundation recognizes a scientist who has made important chemical research contributions which have a significant, positive influence on humankind. The Welch Award consists of a certificate, a gold medallion and $500,000.
4. Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research – This award recognizes the accomplishments of chemical scientists in Texas who are early in their careers. The Hackerman Award consists of a certificate, a sculpture and $100,000.
5. Annual Conference on Chemical Research - Scientists from throughout the world attend a two-day Foundation-sponsored conference on research in chemistry.
6. Welch Summer Scholar Program (WSSP) - The Foundation sponsors a summer research program for talented pre-college chemistry students.
7. Scholarships - The Foundation, through the Texas Interscholastic League Foundation, annually supports Texas high school graduates studying chemistry.
8. University Chairs - The Foundation has participated in sponsoring 50 chairs in chemistry and related sciences.
9. Equipment Grants - The Foundation provides supplemental funding to Departmental grants allowing these program to acquire equipment to support laboratory research.
10. Catalyst for Discovery Program Grants - This program is intended to accelerate progress in fundamental chemical research by supporting research teams with grants at a million dollars a year for up to five years.
11. Welch Postdoctoral Fellows of the Life Sciences Research Foundation - The Foundation sponsors postdoctoral fellowships to recent PhD graduates from around the world to support the development of their chemical research careers in Texas.
12. Welch eXperimental (WelchX) Collaboration Retreats - This program aims to bring together Texas researchers to topically focused chemistry meetings and stimulate them to ideate on challenging issues of our time.

The Board of Directors is charged with the stewardship of the Foundation. Current directors and officers are:

Frederick W. Brazelton, Chair and Director
Gina A. Luna, Vice Chair and Director
Carolyn C. Sabat, Secretary and Director
Carin M. Barth, Treasurer and Director
Douglas L. Foshee, Director
Adam Kuspa, President

The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) advises the Board of Directors on scientific issues relatedto the Foundation's mission. They evaluate proposals for research grants, review and recommend finalists for the Welch and Hackerman Awards and help oversee the other Foundation programs to promote chemistry in Texas. Current members are:

Catherine J. Murphy, Chair; Larry R. Faulkner Endowed Chair in Chemistry and Head, Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Squire J. Booker, Evan Pugh Professor of Chemistry and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University

Geoffrey W. Coates, Tisch University Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University

Sharon Hammes-Schiffer, A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Chemistry, Princeton University

Laura L. Kiessling, Novartis Professor of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ann E. McDermott, Ronald and Esther Breslow Professor of Biological Chemistry, Columbia University

Melanie S. Sanford, Moses Gomberg Distinguished University Professor and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Chemistry, University of Michigan

Kevan M. Shokat, Professor, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, University of California, San Francisco

Xiaowei Zhuang, David B. Arnold Jr. Professor of Science and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, Harvard University

The Welch Foundation
Adam Kuspa, Ph.D., President
PO Box 27944
Houston, TX 77227

Phone: 713.961.9884