After serving as president of the William T. Grant Foundation since 2013, Adam Gamoran will depart from his role at the end of summer 2027.
“It has been a gratifying and rewarding experience to serve the William T. Grant Foundation. Leading the Foundation through a time of change has fortified my stance that research can help us address some of the most pressing issues facing young people today. In the meantime, I will continue in my role full steam ahead over the next year. The Foundation will remain unwavering in its commitment to supporting research to reduce inequality and improve the use of research evidence in decision-making,” said William T. Grant Foundation President Adam Gamoran.
Photo Courtesy of George Washington University
Since stepping into the role over a decade ago, Gamoran has made an indelible mark on the Foundation’s contributions to social science and its use. Under his leadership, the Foundation introduced the reducing inequality focus area in 2014, holding fast to the belief that research can play a powerful role in identifying programs, policies, and practices that reduce inequality in youth outcomes. In 2015, the Foundation re-oriented the use of research evidence focus area, shifting from understanding to identifying and testing strategies that improve research use in ways that benefit young people. Across these two focus areas, our grantees have contributed to significant bodies of knowledge.
Gamoran’s tenure also saw the creation of the Institutional Challenge Grant program, which launched in 2017 to encourage universities to build sustained research-practice partnerships with public agencies or nonprofits. Coming up on its tenth class of grantees, the Institutional Challenge Grant has cultivated meaningful partnerships that are making tangible differences in the lives of young people, from guaranteeing youth summer employment in Boston to increasing scholarship opportunities for students in Atlanta.
Despite the turbulence our nation has experienced, from the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic to the volatility of the political climate, the Foundation under Gamoran’s leadership has remained steadfast in its mission and responsive to the needs of the moment. Since 2017, the Foundation has awarded Rapid Response Research grants to foster agile uses of research that respond to the needs of young people growing up in an uncertain social climate. Partnerships with other funders have allowed the Foundation to extend the reach of these varied initiatives, a critical venture at a time when federal funding for science has contracted. All the while, the Foundation has continued to affirm its values and pursue its mission to reduce inequality and improve the lives of young people while growing an engaged community of researchers.
“We are grateful for Adam’s visionary leadership over the past 13 years. His tenacity and dedication to our mission has pushed the field of social science forward and positioned the Foundation as a leader in our focus areas of inequality and research evidence. Though finding a replacement with Adam’s talents and enthusiasm will be challenging, we are optimistic that we can find a successor who will continue shaping Mr. Grant’s mission to create brighter futures for our nation’s young people,” said Scott Evans, chair of the Board of Trustees.
The Board will run a comprehensive process to identify the next President and has retained Russell Reynolds Associates to lead the search. For more information, applications, and/or to share nominations, please contact WTGrantPres@russellreynolds.com.
