The Gary Karlin Michelson, M.D. Charitable Foundation, Inc. was founded in 1995 through a $100 million contribution from Michelson. It was renamed the
Michelson Medical Research Foundation in 2005. Michelson and his wife, Alya, are founding donors of the
National Medal of Honor Museum.
Michelson Center for Public Policy The Michelson Center for Public Policy endorsed a 2021 bill from U.S. representative for
Florida's 16th congressional district Vern Buchanan to end an FDA requirement that
animal testing be used to determine a drug's efficacy on humans.
Michelson Found Animals Foundation In 2005, Michelson launched the Found Animals Foundation, a
501(c)(3) private operating foundation dedicated to
animal welfare. Found Animals also performs surveys of pet owners, to study industry trends and owner/pet relationships. In 2008, the foundation launched the
Michelson Prize and Grants in Reproductive Biology, a $75 million initiative to create a safe and effective single-dose, non-surgical
spay/neuter method for cats and dogs. The program includes the $25 million Michelson Prize, and an additional $50 million provided by Michelson to fund medical research in support of the prize. In 2021, the Found Animals Registry was acquired by Pethealth Inc. (a subsidiary of
Fairfax Financial). The foundation is also on the board of the
Best Friends Animal Society's
No-Kill Los Angeles initiative. For
World Spay Day 2024, the foundation donated $1 million to Community Animal Medicine Project clinics in Southern California. In October 2024, recognized for his work in animal welfare, Michelson was among the group of honorees at the Malibu Sunset Soirée For Animals event. In the same month, the Community Animal Medicine Project (CAMP) hosted the Pet Gala where
Los Angeles Mayor,
Karen Bass, presented the Michelsons with the Pioneer Award. The Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative, launched by Michelson Found Animals and the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), aims to educate and advocate for legislation that removes barriers for pet owners in housing.
Better Neighbor Project In 2020, the foundation launched the Better Neighbor Project to support low-income and homeless pet owners with food and veterinary services. In January 2025, Michelson Found Animals, in partnership with Greater Good Charities, received delivery of 17 tons of Purina dog food to their Inglewood Better Neighbor Project warehouse to support pet owners impacted by the
California wildfires.
Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property Dr. Michelson was a contributing author to the free 2016 textbook
The Intangible Advantage: Understanding Intellectual Property in the New Economy, written for non-lawyers and undergraduate students to better understand patents, copyrights, and trademarks. In 2016, the new Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property was formed to provide free
intellectual property-related educational resources. Its initiatives include the
USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, the Institute for
Protein Design at the
University of Washington, and the California Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy at the new
UCLA Research Park, announced in January 2024. In 2017 the Michelsons launched the Michelson Prize to support medically relevant research by scientists under the age of 36. The 2020 Michelson Prizes were awarded to Danika Hill, a research fellow at Australia's
Monash University, and Michael Birnbaum, an assistant professor at
MIT. In 2024, through the Michelson Medical Research Foundation, the Michelsons gifted $120 million to help with the launch of the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy which will be located in UCLA's Research Park. At Research!America’s 2025 Advocacy Awards, Michelson received the Gordon and Llura Gund Leadership Award, which honors significant contributions to health-related research and advocacy, in recognition of his work with the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy.
Michelson Neglected Disease Initiative In 2013, he became a principal supporter of the
Sabin Vaccine Institute, giving birth to the Michelson Neglected Disease Vaccine Initiative to provide access to affordable treatments for tropical diseases.
Michelson 20MM Foundation In 2011, Michelson created the Twenty Million Minds Foundation (named for the number of students enrolled in higher
education in the United States), to make college more affordable by underwriting a library of free online textbooks. In 2016, Michelson publicly released a variety of intellectual property tools through the organization. The foundation partnered with California for the first California Digital Divide Challenge in 2020, offering a $1 million prize for the best proposal to expand broadband access in the state. The Michelson 20MM Foundation has been a leading force in closing the digital divide through convenings and energetic advocacy. It brought together national leaders from government, industry, NGOs, and academia for a series of high-level meetings and commissioned research that ultimately resulted in the FCC adopting new rules to eliminate discrimination in access to internet services. Michelson 20MM Foundation released a Los Angeles study on internet service access for low income households now that the federal high speed internet subsidy has been terminated. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) won a grant for a community broadband project from the Michelson 20MM Foundation for $25k in 2024. In July 2024, the 20MM Foundation collaborated with the California State University system to launch the CSU Pregnant and Parenting Student Initiative. ==Legislative==