Search Grantees

Abstract or Project Description

Abstract or Project Description

The microbes that flourish within our guts are central to many aspects of human health. Which microbes are present can dictate susceptibility to a number of acute and chronic diseases, including IBD. This proposal will use a mouse model with a defined and stable set of bacteria to probe how mice interact with specific members of their microbiota in health and during disease. First, each microbe will be tested for its ability to elicit an immune response in healthy mice. Once we have established the baseline response in normal healthy mice, we will use chemicals to disrupt the gut lining to elicit an inflammatory response, or we will disrupt genes known to limit intestinal inflammation. We will then investigate how immune recognition of the microbiota changes under these altered conditions. This system will enable us to track responses to the microbiota with unprecedented precision and will provide clues regarding which microbes drive immune activation during dysregulated responses to the microbiota. Such studies will pave the way for future work aimed at manipulating responses to key members of the microbiota responsible for inflammatory diseases of the gut.

Abstract or Project Description

Funds will be used to support activities by Vital Arts and the Northern California Land Trust to secure seed funding and investment for launching operations, enlisting important community leaders as advisors, and developing communications to spread awareness of the program and its benefits for artists and property owners.

Abstract or Project Description

Gut inflammation alters the bacterial communities in the gut (the microbiome), and these disruptions are thought to make inflammation even worse. Understanding and derailing this cycle could provide new avenues for IBD therapy. Although we know that inflammation can change “who’s there” in the gut microbiome, this project will determine whether harder-to-measure changes within the microbiome also impact the cycle of inflammation and microbiome disruption. Specifically, we will study whether episodes of inflammation cause these bacteria to change by altering their genetic instructions or how those instructions are read out. If successful, the study will uncover new measurements that we need to collect in order to understand how an individual’s microbiome responds to flares of inflammation and remission in IBD. In the future, this understanding will help us design microbiome-based therapies equipped to persist in the inflamed gut and break the cycle of microbiome disruption and inflammation that characterizes IBD.

Abstract or Project Description

We have discovered a novel single-gene defect in patients with pediatric IBD, setting the stage for new molecular and cellular discoveries to dissect biology stemming from human disease. Here, we will pursue two aims that will open new doors by leveraging the strength of preclinical models to uncover mechanisms by which the gene we identified in patients orchestrates immune responses and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Specifically, we will assess roles for this gene in regulating production of the inflammatory IL-1 cytokine and begin to dissect interplay between immune cells lacking this gene and bacteria in the intestine. Since our work begins with patients, our findings will be directly translatable between humans and mice and will advance our unbiased gene discovery to mechanistic insights more broadly relevant for mapping immune interactions relevant for the larger IBD community. Together, these aims address innovative new hypotheses and will advance the mission of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation by enabling transformative IBD discoveries rooted in human biology and advanced with powerful modeling approaches.

Abstract or Project Description

A site-specific outdoor performance by choreographer Joti Singh. Ghadar Geet will merge Bhangra dance with spoken word and live Punjabi folk music to tell the story of San Francisco’s Ghadar Party, a revolutionary group of political activists from India, fighting for India’s independence from the British in the early 20th century.

Abstract or Project Description

A work lead by artist and community organizer Cat Brooks, will raise up the voices and untold stories of missing and murdered Black women in connection with Oakland’s place as a major stop on the global human trafficking circuit.

Abstract or Project Description

To support the development and distribution of social justice programming, curriculum and direct action for young people and their families, with an emphasis on Black, Brown and gender fluid youth.

Abstract or Project Description

General funds, in memory of Brian Igoe, to support ACCESS Uganda, a fiscally-sponsored project of One World ChildrenÕs Fund.

Abstract or Project Description

A site-specific street theater project written, directed and featuring Mexican and Cuban-American playwright Paul S. Flores. History Matters in The Mission brings to life moments of 50 years of archives from El Tecolote bilingual newspaper, including the impact of rapid transit (BART) and technology on the Mission District’s Latino community.

Abstract or Project Description

Affect Real Change, Inc. conducts Oakland community improvement projects by working with other community organizations, officials and community leaders.

Abstract or Project Description

To support food distribution during the COVID-19 crisis.

Abstract or Project Description

Friends of the Lobkowicz Collections is a non profit organization that supports the mission of preserving, studying, and sharing the Lobkowicz Collections in the United States and abroad.

Abstract or Project Description

AnnieCannons Inc. is a nonprofit organization that provides technical training and job opportunities in software development to individuals who have experienced human trafficking or other forms of exploitation, empowering them with valuable skills for economic independence and social reintegration.

Abstract or Project Description

Friends of the Lobkowicz Collections is a non profit organization that supports the mission of preserving, studying, and sharing the Lobkowicz Collections in the United States and abroad.

Abstract or Project Description

To support SEEDS of Learning, an eight-month professional development program for transitional kindergarten and kindergarten teachers that includes materials, classroom tutor resources and ongoing coaching support.

Abstract or Project Description

A multimedia public art project combining vertical dance, projection, original music and fabric puppetry. Conceived and directed by artistic director Melecio Estrella, LOOM is as an ode to intergenerational and environmental connectivity.

Abstract or Project Description

BAICFFÕs mission is to present engaging, culturally diverse films and education programs for children and families.