The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is an American foundation established by Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore and his wife Betty I. Moore in September 2000 to support scientific discovery, environmental conservation, patient care improvements and preservation of the character of the San Francisco Bay Area. As outlined in the Statement of Founder's Intent, the foundation's aim is to tackle large, important issues at a scale where it can achieve significant and measurable impacts. According to the OECD, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation provided USD 60 million for development in 2020 by means of grants.

Funded projects

Astronomy

Biology

Quantum materials

Data-driven discovery

Moore-Sloan Data Science Environments

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Marine Microbiology Initiative (initiative ending in 2021)

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Other (standalone) projects

Controversies

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has contributed US$200 million towards construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope. A proposed extremely large telescope (ELT), the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is considered controversial due to its planned location on Mauna Kea, which is considered sacred land according to the native Hawaiians, on the island of Hawaii in the United States. Native Hawaiian cultural practice and religious rights are the main points of opposition towards the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope, along with concerns over the lack of meaningful dialogue during the permitting process. On October 7, 2014, protesters demonstrated outside the headquarters of the foundation in Palo Alto, California. On July 14, 2019, protesters had created an online petition titled "The Immediate Halt to the Construction of the TMT Telescope" that was posted on Change.org and directed towards the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation as well as other financial backers. The online petition gathered over 278,057 signatures worldwide.