Awarded Grants

​​Organization:   Believe it Foundation

Description:     A grant to purchase Adaptive Bicycles for Children

Amount:          $20,000

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   Boysville, Inc.

Description:     A grant to support Boysville, Inc.

Amount:          $180,000

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   Children’s Hospital of San Antonio

Description:     A grant to support the Pediatric Neurosurgery Epilepsy Program

Amount:          $500,000 in 2026 and $2,000,000 over 3 Years

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   Foundation Fighting Blindness

Description:     A grant to support Age Related Macular Degeneration Research

Amount:          $200,000

Location of Grantee:   Columbia, Maryland

 

Organization:   I Care San Antonio 

Description:     A grant to support Patient Vision Services at Haven for Hope

Amount:          $50,000

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   Low Vision Resource Center

Description:     A grant to support audio recordings

Amount:          $10,000

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   Muscular Dystrophy Association

Description:     A grant to support Programs

Amount:          $200,000

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   Retina Foundation of the Southwest

Description:     A grant to support Macular Degeneration Research

Amount:          $50,000

Location of Grantee:   Dallas, Texas

 

Organization:   Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio

Description:     A grant to purchase Mass Spectrometry and Spatial Metabolic  Instrumentation                                              Amount:          $350,000

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   Trinity University

Description:     A grant to purchase Confocal Microscope

Amount:         $289,994 in 2026 and $579,987 over 2 years

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   UT Health San Antonio

Description:     A grant to fund the Voelcker Biomedical Research Academy

Amount:          $286,790

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   University of Texas, San Antonio

Description:     A grant to support TEAM Pilot Program for Voelcker Biomedical Research Academy

Amount:          $20,000

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   Young Women’s Leadership Academy

Description:     A grant to support Science Education

Amount:          $40,000 in 2026 and $80,000 over 2 Years

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

2026 Voelcker Fund Young Investigator Awards

 

Dr. Carlos Bassetto, Ph.D.

University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas

A New Photochemical Approach to Study Mechanosensation on Cardiac Ion Channels

 

Dr. Jihoon Lee, Ph.D.

University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas

Targeting the NSUN2-caRNA m5C-SMARCA4 Axis in Advanced Prostate Cancer

 

Dr. Syed Mohammad Usama, Ph.D.

University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas

Developing Fluorescent CDK 4/6 Inhibitor to Guide Triple Negative Breast Cancer Surgery

 

Dr. Peng Zhao, Ph.D.

University of Texas, San Antonio, Texas

Restoring Metabolic-Immune Homeostasis to Prevent Myocardial Infarction

​

2025 Awarded Grants

​

Organization:   Believe it Foundation

Description:     A grant to purchase Adaptive Bicycles for Children

Amount:          $20,000

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   Boysville, Inc.

Description:     A grant to support Boysville, Inc.

Amount:          $180,000

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   Children’s Hospital of San Antonio

Description:     A grant to support the Pediatric Neurosurgery Epilepsy Program

Amount:          $500,000 in 2025 and $2,000,000 over 3 Years

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   Foundation Fighting Blindness

 Description:     A grant to support Age Related Macular Degeneration Research

 Amount:          $100,000

 Location of Grantee:   Columbia, Maryland

 

Organization:   Hardberger Park Conservancy

Description:     A grant to restore Dairy Barn Education Center

Amount:          $250,000

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   I Care San Antonio 

Description:     A grant to support Patient Vision Services at Haven for Hope

Amount:          $50,000

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   Low Vision Resource Center

Description:     A grant to support audio recordings

Amount:          $5,000

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   Retina Foundation of the Southwest

Description:     A grant to support Macular Degeneration Research

Amount:          $50,000

Location of Grantee:   Dallas, Texas

 

Organization:   Trinity University

Description:     A grant to purchase Confocal Microscope

Amount:         $289,994 in 2025 and $579,987 over 2 years

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   UT Health San Antonio

Description:     A grant to fund the Voelcker Biomedical Research Academy

Amount:          $287,340

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   University of Texas, San Antonio

Description:     A grant to support the Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates

Amount:          $150,000 in 2025 and $450,000 over 3 Years

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   University of Texas, San Antonio

Description:     Tuition Assistance for Science Graduate Students

Amount:          $250,000

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   University of Texas, San Antonio

Description:     A pilot grant to support Dr. Carlos Bassetto, Ph.D.

Project Title:   A New Photomechanical Approach to Study Mechanosensation of Cardiac Ion Channels

Amount:          $100,000

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

 

Organization:   Young Women’s Leadership Academy

Description:     A grant to support the Science Education

Amount:          $40,000 in 2025 and $80,000 over 2 Years

Location of Grantee:   San Antonio, Texas

  

2025 Voelcker Fund Young Investigator Awards

 

Dr. Maria Falzone, Ph.D.

University of Texas Health, San Antonio, Texas

Phospholipase Dysregulation in Breast Cancer

 

Dr. Maria Gonzalez-Porras, Ph.D.

University of Texas Health, San Antonio, Texas

Adipocyte Mitophagy as a Novel Mechanism of Adipose tissue Loss During Cancer Cachexia

 

Dr. Oleg Klykov, Ph.D.

University of Texas Health, San Antonio, Texas

ATPase in Structure-Based Drug Discovery Against Heart Attack Effects

 

Dr. Lu Wang, Ph.D.

Functions of Small Maf Proteins in Therapy-Induced Senescence 

University of Texas Health, San Antonio, Texas