Charles H. Hood Foundation

CHANGING THE FUTURE OF PEDIATRIC MEDICINE The Charles H. Hood Foundation is focused on turning a single vision into reality: improving the health and quality of life for all children. By identifying innovative pediatric advancements and providing funding in the key stages of development, the Foundation allows high-impact projects to both begin and succeed earlier. The Foundation has proven many times over that supporting brilliant minds early in their careers helps position promising researchers to leverage long-term funding from other private and government sources. We have a three-pronged approach consisting of Child Health Research Awards, Major Grants, and Program Related Investments. The Child Health Research Awards Program helps young investigators succeed in new, independent roles by giving them opportunities to demonstrate creativity in their field that lead to both career advancement and additional research funding. In the end, this kind of support at critical phases of both scientific research and career path development helps propel the pediatric research community ahead to uncover transformative breakthroughs that impact the health and well-being of children and families in New England and around the world. Mission Since 1942, the Hood Foundation has carried on the legacy of Charles H. Hood by funding groundbreaking and innovative pediatric research in the New England area. The Foundation makes meaningful change possible by filling the gaps in the medical research and innovation funding marketplace that springboard the next generation of cutting-edge scientific leaders and advancements in pediatric health. Our future is driving the research that improves the care and well-being for all children. A Brief History of the Foundation A New England pioneer of the 1800s dairy industry, Charles H. Hood did not set out to change lives. But, his drive to improve sanitary production and distribution of the milk he sold revolutionized the industry — and dramatically increased the survival rate for infants in the region. Those early innovations sparked a lifelong dedication to science, education and discovery that the Hood Foundation strives to continue today. In 1942, his son, Harvey P. Hood II, expanded the vision by formally incorporating the Charles H. Hood Foundation, which has since been entirely supported by private contributions from Hood family members. Harvey P. Hood II dedicated the Foundation to improving the health and quality of life for children through grant support of pediatric research within New England–based institutions. He worked to create an effective way of selecting and supporting projects that could accelerate the development of high-impact scientific breakthroughs that may not have been possible otherwise. Today, the Hood spirit lives on as the Foundation continues to select and support innovative pediatric medical research that results in transforming the health and quality of life for children and families in New England and beyond.