The Foundation for Cultural Renewal finds and supports researchers and artists with extraordinary caliber across the globe. We understand that real geniuses bring out ideas and skills that sometimes take decades to recognize, and these do not fit neatly into proposals, publishing statistics, and products. We understand that it may be hard to spot genuine path-breaking research in science, art, and social transformation, but we have the expertise to do just that.
WHAT WE DO
Why another non-profit?
In the classic bell curve of society, there are always those that get left behind, those that are a part of current institutions, and those who surge ahead. A large number of nonprofits and non-governmental organizations focus on those economically or socially disadvantaged. But what about those who have surged ahead of the curve in their own fields of interest without institutional support? Who have outstanding skills but require economic support to get their work recognized?
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The Foundation for Cultural Renewal focuses on this segment of society.
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There ought to be a pathway for such people to receive support, if we are really serious about supporting innovation.
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And that is why we need another nonprofit: ours.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Focusing upstream
Consider this: Would Galileo have really been funded today, for claiming that the Earth moved?
WITHOUT:
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The support of the authorities of the institutions of his day?
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An immediate practical application?
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Peer-reviewed journal citations?
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A business plan or product that can show a Return on Investment?
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A project that is in the government's interest to fund?
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Probably not. And yet his work gave rise to modern culture by kicking off the scientific revolution.
Any long term change of trajectory requires a focus on such upstream game-changers, so that we can identify such revolutionary geniuses and nurture their work. This leads to a complete transformation downstream: with new solutions, innovations and even revolutions.
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We serve as incubators for such cultural innovators.
WHO WE ARE
Snetu Karania (President/CFO)
Environmental Engineering graduate from Stanford University. Non-profit volunteer for 12 years with an organization that funded millions of dollars annually to underprivileged schools in India.
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Gary Lamb (Vice President)
Leader of the Center for Social Research at Hawthorne Valley, Researcher and Author on Economics and the Social Impact of Technology.
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Gopi Vijaya (Science Director)
PhD, Physics, University of Houston. Researcher and speaker on physics, Goethean science and computing technology. (Website: www.gopivijaya.com)
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Austin Abigt (Secretary)
Woodworking, Custom cabinetry, and craftsmanship. High-end cabinet installations in a variety of private-home and showroom settings. Researcher in American Philosophy.
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Billy Moschella Jr. (Outreach Coordinator)
Graduate of Berklee School of Music (Songwriter), five years’ experience in coordinating activist groups for social transformation in Utah.
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Together, we are a group of dedicated professionals with the collective experience of more than 5 decades in the nonprofit world. In addition to a Doctorate and Masters' degrees in Physics and Engineering, we also collectively specialize in vetting cutting-edge research in several branches of science, art and social issues. This is combined with our background experience in construction, business, activism, video production, and grant-writing.