Philosophy

In many ways, the Foundation’s approach to philanthropy parallels the activities of a seed or early stage venture capital firm. A venture capitalist invests in a diverse project portfolio with the expectation that some will provide a high positive return and others no return at all. The Fannie E. Rippel Foundation invests in a portfolio of innovative ideas and creative leaders to positively impact the future of healthcare. Our expected return is not measured in financial gain. Rather, it will be measured in improved health outcomes for people and a more viable national healthcare system. Like a venture capitalist, the Rippel Foundation will manage its portfolio of funding to balance the level of risk inherent in seeding innovations in healthcare.

As an innovator, Julius A. Rippel, the Foundation’s first president, established the philosophy that guides our current funding priorities. Beginning in 1956, he repeatedly instructed the other Trustees to treat Foundation money as a precious, limited, and very special national asset. He also encouraged them to be "pioneers.” More importantly, Julius had amazing insight into the health-related problems facing the nation. In his 1979 report to the Trustees, Julius wrote, “For a stretch of years I have had a growing ‘hunch’ that our knowledge about good health and ill health is in its infancy. I suspect that within a decade much more will become known concerning how to maintain good health and improve ill health. I suspect it will become known and developed by medical doctors who have grown far beyond what they were taught in medical school and also by discerning men and women who are not medical professionals…”

Today, the Foundation’s Trustees understand that solving the problems facing our complex healthcare system will require, as Julius said, “new ways of thinking” about system dynamics. He envisioned that the solutions to the problems we face in healthcare would come from redesigning medical education, restructuring healthcare teams, integrating traditional and non-Western approaches to wellness and care, engaging doctors and bright people from other fields, and more. The Foundation’s philosophy toward funding builds upon Julius’ thoughts, applying them in the context of today’s advances in medicine. While medical research has added new and better treatments, more is needed to make our healthcare system effective, efficient, and accessible. These challenges are at the core of our funding priorities.