Introduction
The Job Research Foundation is a United States-based private foundation dedicated to advancing scientific research into Job Syndrome, a rare genetic immunodeficiency condition also known as autosomal dominant hyper-IgE syndrome, AD-HIES, or STAT3 dominant-negative disease.
The Foundation’s long-term goal is to support research that may eventually lead to a cure. Its shorter-term objective is to improve treatments, clinical care and quality of life for people living with the condition. It achieves this mission primarily by providing competitive research grants to scientists and qualified research institutions worldwide.
Job Syndrome is caused by disease-related variants affecting the STAT3 gene. People with the condition may experience very high immunoglobulin E levels, recurrent skin and lung infections, dermatitis, bone fractures, unusually flexible joints and other immune, connective-tissue and skeletal complications.
The Job Research Foundation is a specialised research funder rather than a hospital, patient-care provider or commercial biotechnology company. Its philanthropic activities concentrate on financing basic, translational and preclinical research that can improve scientific understanding of the disease and create new treatment possibilities.
Although it collaborates with universities, hospitals and government research laboratories, it is not an enterprise foundation owned by a pharmaceutical or healthcare company. Public tax records classify it as a private grantmaking foundation, while its official website identifies Jennifer and Ted Lavin as its founders and trustees.
History and Background
Establishment of the Foundation
The Job Research Foundation was founded in 2018 by parents, healthcare professionals and friends who recognised the limited research funding available for Job Syndrome.
The organisation was created to provide scientists with additional opportunities to investigate the causes, biological mechanisms, complications and possible treatments of this rare condition. The founders emphasised collaboration, transparency and broad access to any treatments that may emerge from Foundation-supported research.
The Foundation received federal tax-exempt recognition in March 2019. Its Employer Identification Number is 35-7211744, and public tax records classify it within the private grantmaking-foundation category.
First research-grant round
The Foundation announced its first grant opportunity in June 2018, offering up to $500,000 for scientific investigations into the causes and treatments of Job Syndrome.
The first funded projects were announced in 2019 and involved researchers working in Australia, Germany, Spain and the United States. These projects examined immune regulation, bacterial infections, pulmonary complications and the effects of STAT3 mutations.
Growth of the research portfolio
The Foundation continued to issue regular funding rounds and expanded its international research portfolio.
By its fifth anniversary in 2023, it had supported 14 projects at institutions including the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Helmholtz Munich, Rockefeller University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Columbia University, the University of Freiburg and the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
As of July 2026, the Foundation reported that it had funded 17 scientific research projects worldwide. Its ninth funding round is designed to add up to two further projects to this portfolio.
Mission and Purpose
Search for better treatments and a cure
The Foundation’s mission is to fund research into Job Syndrome with the hope of identifying better therapies and eventually finding a cure.
Because the condition is rare, it may receive less attention and basic research funding than more common diseases. A specialised foundation can address this gap by concentrating resources on disease mechanisms and treatment questions that might otherwise remain unexplored.
Improving current patient care
The Foundation recognises that the development of a complete cure may require many years of scientific investigation. Its research grants therefore also support projects that could produce more immediate improvements in treatment and clinical management.
Supported studies may investigate:
- Recurrent bacterial and fungal infections
- Chronic lung disease
- Abnormal healing after infection
- Immune-cell dysfunction
- Elevated IgE levels
- Gastrointestinal complications
- Bone-marrow transplantation
- Gene therapy and genome editing
- Patient health status and quality of life
- Pulmonary regeneration and tissue repair
Encouraging global collaboration
The Job Research Foundation encourages previous applicants and grantees to reapply and collaborate with researchers at other institutions.
This approach is particularly important in rare-disease research because individual hospitals or universities may have access to only a small number of patients, samples or specialised datasets. International cooperation can improve study design, increase the number of participants and accelerate scientific learning.
Ensuring broad access to future treatments
The Foundation states that treatments developed through its support should be available to everyone.
This principle distinguishes its philanthropic activities from commercial investment models that prioritise private ownership, intellectual-property returns or shareholder value. The Foundation’s stated purpose is public benefit and improved patient outcomes.
Governance and Structure
Legal classification
The Job Research Foundation is recognised as a US tax-exempt private foundation under Section 501(c)(3).
It files Form 990-PF, the annual tax return used by private foundations to report financial activities, investments, charitable expenditure, governance and grants. Public records place the Foundation in the philanthropy and private grantmaking category.
Ownership
The Foundation has no conventional shareholders, publicly traded stock or corporate parent.
It is not owned by a pharmaceutical company, university or healthcare enterprise. It should therefore not be classified as a commercial enterprise foundation.
Its assets are controlled by trustees and must be used for charitable and scientific purposes. Unlike a for-profit company, the Foundation does not distribute profits to equity owners.
Founders and trustees
The official website identifies Jennifer and Ted Lavin as the founders and trustees of the Job Research Foundation.
The Foundation’s 2024 public tax filing lists the following trustees:
- Jennifer Bruder
- Edward P. Lavin
- James J. Bruder Jr.
- Julie L. Flaherty
The filing reported no compensation for these trustees.
Scientific Advisory Board
Scientific review is conducted by an international Scientific Advisory Board composed of specialists in immunology, infectious diseases, paediatrics, pulmonology, genetics and rare immune disorders.
The board is led by Dr. Alain Fischer, Chief Scientific Officer at Institut Imagine.
Other listed scientific advisers include:
- Dr. Alexandra Freeman
- Professor Andrew R. Gennery
- Dr. Jennifer Heimall
- Dr. John Manis
- Dr. Joshua Milner
- Dr. Luigi D. Notarangelo
- Dr. Anne Stone
- Professor Stuart Tangye
The Scientific Advisory Board evaluates grant applications, considers the quality and feasibility of proposed research and advises the Foundation on scientific priorities.
General Advisory Board
The Foundation also lists a general Advisory Board consisting of:
- James Bruder
- Dr. Amy Cram
- Julie Flaherty
- Margaret Anne Nolen
- Dr. Thomas O’Connor
This body provides additional guidance on the Foundation’s development, governance, communications and philanthropic activities.
Grant-review accountability
Grant proposals are reviewed by the Scientific Advisory Board. The Foundation states that conflicts of interest must be disclosed in meeting records and reported when grants are approved.
Funds are awarded through qualified public charities or research institutions rather than being paid directly to individual researchers. This arrangement provides institutional supervision, financial controls and research-compliance oversight.
Funding and Grants
Foundation funding model
The Job Research Foundation finances its activities through private-foundation assets, charitable contributions and investment income.
It does not generate its main income by selling products, charging patients or entering commercial treatment contracts. Its funding model is designed to convert philanthropic resources into scientific research grants.
Public financial information should be interpreted as a historical reporting snapshot rather than as the Foundation’s current grant budget.
For the financial year ending December 2024, its public filing reported:
- Revenue of $1,084
- Expenses of $353,559
- Charitable disbursements of $352,475
- Year-end assets of $21,347
- No liabilities
- No trustee compensation
The Foundation’s July 2026 announcement separately confirms that it has committed up to $400,000 for its ninth grant round. This newer funding announcement is the most relevant source for applicants assessing the current opportunity.
2026–2027 research-grant round
The ninth research-grant round was announced in July 2026.
The Foundation plans to provide:
- Up to two research grants
- $200,000 per selected project
- Funding distributed over two years
- Up to $400,000 in total available funding
- Support for research into the causes or treatment of Job Syndrome
The opportunity is open to researchers worldwide. Previous applicants and previous grant recipients may apply again, and collaboration between institutions is encouraged.
Current deadline
The latest official announcement states that applications are due on 16 October 2026, with recipients expected to be announced in January 2027.
The Foundation’s separate grant-guidelines page still displays an older notice saying that the 2026 process is closed and lists dates from the previous application cycle. As of 17 July 2026, applicants should follow the more recent July 2026 funding announcement but confirm the current instructions directly with the Foundation before submitting.
Eligible research
All areas of Job Syndrome research are considered equally under the current approach.
Potentially relevant proposals may cover:
- Basic immunology
- STAT3 signalling
- Disease pathogenesis
- Infectious complications
- Lung injury and regeneration
- Clinical treatment
- Bone-marrow transplantation
- Cell therapy
- Gene editing
- Patient-reported outcomes
- Quality of life
- Translational medicine
The funding is narrowly focused on Job Syndrome and is not intended as unrestricted basic research funding for unrelated diseases or scientific fields.
Application requirements
Applicants are expected to submit:
- A personal statement
- A detailed research proposal
- Specific aims and scientific background
- Proposed methodology
- Research goals
- A project budget
- Budget justification
- A project timeline
- Measurable milestones
- A curriculum vitae or biosketch
- A primary mentor’s biosketch
- Institutional-review documentation where applicable
Research involving human participants or animals must include an appropriate plan for Institutional Review Board or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approval.
Grant conditions
Research grants are subject to several conditions:
- Funding cannot be used entirely for salary or laboratory support.
- Travel and pre-award costs require prior written approval.
- Recipients must report publications resulting from the research.
- Researchers participate in a six-month progress check.
- Written progress and financial reports are required after the first and second years.
- Second-year payments depend on satisfactory progress against agreed milestones.
- Recipients may be asked to present their findings to the Foundation’s board.
Major Programs and Initiatives
Competitive research-grant program
The Foundation’s principal program is its international competitive research-grant scheme.
Most recent awards have provided $200,000 over two years, allowing researchers to investigate focused scientific questions that may be difficult to finance through larger general medical-research programs.
Basic and mechanistic research
Several grants focus on the biological mechanisms underlying Job Syndrome.
Examples include research into:
- STAT3-mediated immune regulation
- Dominant-negative effects of STAT3 mutations
- B-cell function
- IL-10 and STAT3 signalling
- Epithelial differentiation
- Host defence
- Lung pathology
This basic research funding helps scientists understand why particular symptoms and complications develop.
Gene and cell-therapy research
The Foundation has supported research examining whether genetic defects associated with Job Syndrome could be corrected through advanced therapeutic technologies.
Examples include:
- Genome editing in blood-forming stem and progenitor cells
- CRISPR base-editing approaches
- CRISPR/Cas-based ex vivo gene editing
- Nanotechnology-based cellular therapy
These projects are experimental and should not be interpreted as established treatments. Their purpose is to evaluate whether new therapeutic pathways may be scientifically feasible.
Pulmonary research
Lung infections and long-term pulmonary complications are major concerns for many people with Job Syndrome.
The Foundation has supported studies on:
- Airway epithelial differentiation
- Lung immune defence
- Pneumatoceles
- Alveolar function
- Tissue regeneration
- Bacterial and fungal infections
- Prevention and treatment of chronic lung disease
Clinical outcomes and patient experience
Not all funded work is laboratory-based.
The Foundation has also supported international research on health status, quality of life, clinical outcomes and the experience of patients with autosomal dominant hyper-IgE syndrome.
Research communication
The Foundation publishes grant-recipient information, project summaries, scientific papers and news about relevant studies on its website.
This communication activity helps patients, families, researchers and donors follow the development of the research portfolio and understand how grant funding is being used.
Impact and Examples of Work Funded
International research portfolio
By July 2026, the Job Research Foundation had funded 17 projects across institutions in Australia, Denmark, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The portfolio includes universities, children’s hospitals, national research institutes and specialist immunology laboratories.
Understanding immune dysfunction
Professor Stuart Tangye and colleagues at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have investigated how STAT3 regulates human immune responses and how immune dysregulation contributes to Job Syndrome.
The work has examined B cells, antibody responses, host defence and immune-mediated lung disease. The Foundation reported that this research could contribute knowledge relevant not only to Job Syndrome but also to other conditions involving weak immune responses or allergic disease.
Research into lung complications
Dr. Hongmei Mou’s team at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School studied impaired airway epithelial differentiation and host defence.
The Foundation reported that the research identified abnormalities that may contribute to pulmonary complications and produced a scientific publication.
Genome-editing studies
Researchers at the University of Freiburg investigated genome editing in blood-forming stem and progenitor cells as a potential strategy for treating hyper-IgE syndrome.
The Foundation later funded additional gene-editing research at NIAID and Aarhus University, demonstrating sustained interest in the possible development of genetically targeted therapies.
2024 grant
Dr. Rasmus O. Bak of Aarhus University received a $200,000 grant for research into next-generation CRISPR/Cas-based ex vivo editing of a patient’s own blood-forming stem cells.
The project is designed to explore whether corrected cells could eventually form part of a curative treatment strategy.
2025 grant
Dr. Beate Hagl and Dr. Carola Voss of Helmholtz Munich received a two-year, $200,000 grant for a project titled “Novel Strategies for the Prevention and Treatment of Lung Disease in Job Syndrome Patients.”
The project builds on the Foundation’s continuing focus on respiratory complications, tissue repair and improved treatment for chronic lung disease.
Publications and scientific dissemination
The Foundation’s website links funded projects to research summaries and published papers. Supported research has contributed to publications concerning epithelial biology, immune regulation, gene editing and clinical treatment.
The Foundation has also highlighted research concerning bone-marrow transplantation and its potential to address immune deficiency in people with STAT3 dominant-negative disease.
Broader impact of specialised funding
The Foundation’s impact is not measured only by the number of grants awarded.
Its funding can also help:
- Generate preliminary scientific evidence
- Produce peer-reviewed publications
- Develop research careers
- Establish international collaborations
- Test experimental treatment concepts
- Improve understanding of rare complications
- Attract additional institutional or government funding
- Maintain scientific attention on an extremely rare condition
Because many funded projects remain experimental or ongoing, their ultimate clinical impact may take years to determine.
Conclusion
The Job Research Foundation is a specialised US private foundation financing research into Job Syndrome, also known as autosomal dominant hyper-IgE syndrome or STAT3 dominant-negative disease.
Founded in 2018 by parents, medical professionals and supporters, it has developed an international research portfolio involving leading universities, hospitals and immunology laboratories. By July 2026, the Foundation reported supporting 17 research projects worldwide.
The Foundation has no commercial shareholders and is not owned by a pharmaceutical company. Its governance combines family trustees, a general Advisory Board and an international Scientific Advisory Board.
Its philanthropic activities centre on competitive research grants rather than direct healthcare delivery. Funding areas include:
- Basic immunology
- Disease mechanisms
- Pulmonary complications
- Infection and immune defence
- Patient quality of life
- Bone-marrow transplantation
- Gene therapy
- CRISPR and genome editing
- Cellular and regenerative treatments
The current ninth funding round offers up to two grants of $200,000 each over two years. According to the latest official announcement, applications are open worldwide until 16 October 2026, and successful applicants are expected to be announced in January 2027.
For an intern studying the Foundation, useful areas of professional learning include:
- Rare-disease philanthropy
- Scientific grant administration
- Research-proposal assessment
- Medical and scientific communications
- Foundation governance
- Financial reporting
- Conflict-of-interest management
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Research ethics and compliance
- International research collaboration
- Patient-centred research
- Translational medicine
The Job Research Foundation illustrates how a focused private foundation can address an underfunded medical condition by connecting family-led philanthropy, scientific expertise and global research institutions.
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