When Dr. Ryan Kelly says he can see whales in a bottle of water, he means it. At least, he can tell which whales and other species have passed through that water sample by sequencing the DNA inside. All living things shed tiny traces of DNA in their environments. Water, soil, and even air hold clues about which species have been present. Over the past decade, Kelly and his colleagues have helped bring these genetic traces … Continued
Stable, affordable housing helps families put down roots in their communities. It also supports a strong local economy across Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties. To help California families find high-quality homes they can afford, the Packard Foundation is supporting the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) with a $450,000 grant to expand housing options … Continued
For a scratchy throat, feeling unwell is bad enough. The dreaded strep throat swab that follows is no fun either, especially for kids. Dr. Ashleigh Theberge’s lab at the University of Washington has invented a gentler alternative: a strawberry flavored lollipop with tiny spiral channels that siphon off saliva for testing. The idea is that … Continued
When someone new comes through the doors at Magnolia Medical Foundation in Jackson, Mississippi, they’re typically seeking medical care or stopping by the food pantry. For the organization’s founder and executive director, Dr. Erica Thompson, this is an opportunity to welcome them into the organization for the long-term. Magnolia Medical Foundation provides preventative health care … Continued
As a child, Melanie Richardson says she was the cousin everyone trusted to soothe a baby or sit on the floor and play. She has always had it in her to work with children and families. Today, Richardson is the executive director and co-founder of TrainingGrounds, a New Orleans nonprofit she launched in 2016 with … Continued
At a time when U.S. politics is sharply divided and promising ideas often stall because they’re labeled as belonging to one party, many Gen Z and millennial lawmakers are choosing to work together. Though young lawmakers make up just 25% of state legislators nationwide, they introduced 40% of the bipartisan bills enacted in 2023 at … Continued
For many families, having a home isn’t just about having a safe place to sleep. A stable home provides stability, builds community, and sets them up for the future. But too often, families in our community are being pushed into homelessness faster than our systems are able to build and connect people to permanent housing. … Continued
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has created a U.S. Racial Justice initiative, building on the momentum of its five-year justice and equity fund established in 2020 to support efforts to ensure our institutions better reflect the values we all aspire to – fairness, freedom, and equitable access to opportunity for all. With the initial … Continued
Flowing through Oregon and into Northern California, the lower Klamath River region is an iconic landscape home to old-growth forests and sacred Yurok Tribal sites. The river’s cold-water tributaries are essential to the survival of coho and Chinook salmon, steelhead, and the northern spotted owl. In late May 2025, the final section of more than … Continued
Conversations about tropical forest protection often start far from the places where the work is rooted. But everything shifts when you sit with Indigenous community leaders who’ve been caring for their forests for generations. On a recent visit to Malaumkarta, a coastal village in West Papua, Indonesia, I joined Packard Foundation colleagues to hear from … Continued