1957 The Merck Company Foundation is established as the principal arm of the Company's program of charitable giving with an initial $500,000 contribution from the Company "to assist in meeting the responsibilities of a good corporate citizen to the charitable, educational and other worthwhile needs of the communities in which it lives."

1958

The Foundation makes its first donations totaling about $262,000. Funding is awarded to advance the following causes:     Aid to Education (secondary and collegiate) Social Welfare and Health Support of Knowledge International Medical Aid

During its first two years of grant-giving, the Foundation makes contributions to numerous organizations which support the previously mentioned causes. These organizations include: American Red Cross Health agencies such as the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association Scientific societies like the National Society for Medical Research and New York Academy of Medicine Educational organizations like the United Negro College Fund, National Fund for Medical Education, and American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education, in addition to grants, scholarships and fellowships to more than 22 colleges and universities Health care facilities, including 13 regional hospitals located in communities where Merck has facilities Cultural organizations, including Voice of America, the Franklin Institute, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

1958

In an early activity to support science education at the secondary school level, the Foundation provides funding to the Physical Science Study Committee, a national committee formed to help reform teaching in physics. This funding will enable high school science teachers to participate in a summer seminar. Teachers are selected from the communities where the Company has facilities.

1959

Foundation funds the first Merck Sharp & Dohme International Fellowship for Training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation to enable foreign doctors and therapists to study in the U.S. This was one of the first efforts by the Foundation to support the education of health care professions from abroad.

1959

Foundation provides funding to enable a team of doctors from The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health to visit India and make arrangements with the All India Institute in Calcutta for a joint public health research and training project.

1959 The Foundation launches its Matching Gifts Program. Entitled the Cooperative Contribution Program, agreeing to match gifts Merck employees make to any accredited college in the U.S. By the end of the first year, 157 colleges have received more than $50,000 through this program. This program continues today through the Partnership for Giving (P4G).

1959 The Foundation establishes the George W. Merck Memorial Loan Fund to create individual loan programs at participating teaching hospitals that provide funds for interns and residents to supplement their stipends. By 1966, more than 900 loans have been issued. Photo: George W. Merck President, Merck & Co., Inc., 1925-1950; Chairman, Merck & Co., Inc., 1949-1957

1961

The Foundation hits a milestone of contributing more than a $1 million to the advancement of social welfare, better heath and education.

1961

The Matching Gifts Program expands to include contributions to secondary schools.

1962 The Foundation establishes Merck Clinical Fellowships at Johns Hopkins University to be given to four individuals annually who show particular promise of a career as a medical teacher.

1963 The Foundation provides $25,000 to the National Academy of Sciences to expand its headquarters in Washington, D.C.

1964

Foundation becomes the sole sponsor of the New Jersey State Science Day, a competition among high school students conducted by the N.J. Science Teachers Association. The Foundation's support for this program continues today.

1964 The Foundation continues its support of secondary education with a donation to the N.J. Council on Economic Education to sponsor workshops to train 50,000 teachers.

1964 The Foundation establishes the MSD International Fellowships in Clinical Pharmacology to broaden competence in clinical pharmacology outside of the U.S. Through this program, the Foundation provides funding for foreign doctors to receive post-graduate training in the U.S. for two years before returning to their own countries to practice. By 2005, when the program concluded, the program had awarded fellowships to 165 physicians from more than 50 countries. Photo: Dr. Hong-Hao Zhou, of China, was a Fellowship recipient in 1997.

1965

The Matching Gifts Program expands to include contributions to hospitals.

1967

For the first time, the Foundation's annual contributions total more than $1 million.

1969

The Foundation establishes the Merck Grants for Faculty Development program. Through this program, the Foundation provides funding to promising, newly-appointed faculty at colleges and universities to enable them to conduct research in the fields of biological, medical and chemical sciences.

1971

The Foundation launches its Financial Aid for Needy Medical Students program. This program is designed to provide funding to minority students attending medical schools in the U.S. where Merck has a facility. In 1980, the program has been expanded to include financially needy white students.

1976 The Foundation establishes the Pharmacy Student Information Programs on Health Topics to help pharmacy students defray the cost of public educational programs on such health hazards as alcoholism, drug abuse, and accidental poisoning.

1978  Realizing that minority groups are underrepresented in the ranks of scientists in the United States, in 1977, Foundation staff meet with MSD research laboratories senior scientists to explore ways of ameliorating this situation. As a result of these discussions, as well as additional ones with college leaders, the Foundation establishes its Educational Assistance Program in 1978 to increase the number of minority scientists. By 1980, the program is expanded to include 14 traditionally black colleges. Photo: Check presentation to the Atlanta University's chemistry department.

1978

The Foundation's annual contributions top $2 million for the first time.

1978

The Foundation launches the Science Development Grants for Women's Colleges program to provide funding to women's colleges for support of education in the biological and chemical sciences.

1981

The Foundation teams with the American College of Cardiology to establish a program of Cardiology Fellowship Training Awards to support advanced training in cardiology. Since its inception, 145 physicians have been named Merck Fellows. The program continues today.

1981

The Foundation establishes a joint award program with Aspira, Inc., an organization which encourages Hispanic students to seek education and training in the health professions. Merck/Aspira Scholars will receive funding for vocational training in a cooperative laboratory technicians program.

1981

The Foundation launches the Merck Postdoctoral Fellowships to aid developing scientists at a critical point in their careers.

1981

The Foundation begins the Merck Biomedical Fellowships program for minority graduate students to support enrollment of minorities in doctoral degree programs leading to high-level careers in chemical, biological and basic medical sciences.

1982

The Foundation's cumulative giving since its inception in 1957 reaches $40 million.

1985

The Foundation launches the Development Program for Women Scientists, a new program designed to foster career advancement for young female faculty members.

1987

The Foundation pledges $1 million to MIT's School of Science for a new biology building.

1988

The Foundation creates The Merck Innovation Awards in Undergraduate Science Education to recognize and reward the role of private liberal arts colleges.

1988

Matching Gifts Program expands to include gifts to public broadcasting stations and public libraries.

1989

The Foundation establishes two new fellowship programs: the Merck Fellowship in Lipidology (at the Mayo Clinic) and Fellowships in Clinical Epidemiology.

1989

The Foundation contributes $300,000 to establish the Comprehensive Regional Center for Minorities in Philadelphia so teachers can provide special tutoring in science and math to secondary students.

1991 The Foundation pledges $1 million to New Jersey's proposed Liberty Science Center, anticipated to be one of the largest such museums in the nation. Support continues today.

1991

In honor of the Company's 100th anniversary, the Foundation awards Centennial Grants to educational institutions and community and health organizations in the United States. A total of $6 million is awarded through these grants.

1991 Merck contributes $1 million through the Foundation to build the N.J. Performing Arts Center in Newark. Support continues today. Photo: New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ

1992

The Foundation surpasses $100 million in total donations since 1957 to educational and social services.

1993 The Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE) is established to improve science education and raise the levels of science performance for students in the U.S. from kindergarten through 12th grade. Since this time, the Foundation has provided more than $32 million to the Institute.

1994

Foundation launches the Merck/AAAS Undergraduate Science Research Program with a commitment of more than $10 million over 12 years to enhance undergraduate education through research experience that emphasize the interrelationship between chemistry and biology, encourage students to pursue graduate education in chemistry and life sciences, and foster undergraduate programs and activities that bridge chemistry and biology.

1994 Merck establishes the Champions for the Environment grant program to commemorate Earth Day by fostering collaboration between employees and the communities where they work. Through this program, the Foundation provides grants to support environmental projects initiated by its facilities in communities in the U.S. (Note: programs outside the U.S. are supported through grants from Merck & Co., Inc) Photo: Merck volunteers, family and friends plant shrubs and plants as part of Merck's Champions for the Environment program.

1995 The Foundation launches a joint program with the United Negro College Fund to establish the UNCF-Merck Science Initiative. This program is designed to increase the number of African-American students pursuing careers in scientific research. The Foundation commits $20 million over a 10 year period. At this time, it was UNCF's largest effort to reach out beyond historically black colleges and university to majority institutions. To date, more than 400 fellowships have been awarded.

1995 The Foundation enters into collaboration with the Washington-based Ethics Resource Center to establish a series of independent ethics centers in various regions around the world. The centers facilitate dialogue and action related to ethical business and organizational issues of importance in the countries where the centers are located. The first center to open was the Gulf Centre for Excellence in Ethics in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1998. A second center opened in South Africa in 2000, followed by a center in Colombia in 2001, and in Turkey in 2003.

1997

The Foundation provides a $1 million grant to the University of Cape Town (South Africa) to help upgrade its medical school library.

1997

The Foundation establishes the Merck Pharmacy Grants program to provide funding to advance undergraduate or graduate pharmacy education.

1998

Merck launches Employee Giving Campaign, an annual donor choice campaign that, through the Foundation, matches employee and retiree contributions to health and human services agencies.

1999 The Foundation launches its Program on Pharmaceutical Policy Issues to help academic institutions conduct independent research in pharmaceutical and health policy issues. Since 1999, the Foundation has provided more than $11 million in grants through PPPI.

2000 The Foundation provides $50 million, along with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to establish the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP), an innovative partnership to support and enhance Botswana's national response to HIV/AIDS through a comprehensive approach to prevention, care, treatment and support.

2000 The Foundation pledges $3 million over six years to establish the Merck Arts Education Center at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. Photo: The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia

2000

With more than $10 million in funding from the Foundation, the Merck Institute for Aging & Health is launched to improve the health, independence and quality of life of older adults.

2001 The Foundation provides a $2 million grant over eight years to the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey. Photo: Liberty Science Center

2001

The Foundation launches the Merck Quantitative Sciences Fellowship Program to provide support for graduate students at leading North American universities to help increase the number of well-trained graduates in biostatistics, epidemiology and health economics statistics.

2001 The Foundation begins a partnership with the International Council of Nurses to help nurses in rural Africa gain critical access to quality health care information.

2003 The Foundation establishes the Merck Vaccine Network-Africa, a multi-year initiative to help increase the capacity of immunization programs to deliver vaccines effectively in Africa.

2003 Nearly 50 years after providing its first grant, the Foundation provides The Franklin Institute nearly $2 million over five years to support the "Heart of the Matter" exhibit. Photo: The Giant Walk-Through Heart at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia

2004

The Foundation commits $3.7 million to build a 22-room addition to The Children's Inn at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world's premier biomedical research center. The Inn is designed to keep families together in the midst of crisis, reduce stress and promote emotional well-being, comfort and mutual support.

2005 With a commitment to provide up to $20 million over five years, the Foundation establishes the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, a non-profit organization established to address the complex and growing problem of pediatric asthma.

2005

The Foundation commits $30 million over five years to create the China-MSD HIV/ public-private partnership with China's Ministry of Health.

2005 Merck's Employee Giving Campaign and Matching Gift Programs join to form the Merck Partnership for Giving, an annual program through which employee and retiree gifts to health and human services agencies, educational institutions, and arts and culture organizations are matched by the Foundation.

2006 The Foundation commits $1 million to support the expansion of The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship's U.S. Schweitzer Fellows Programs, which help address the health disparities and health needs of underserved communities around the United States.

2006

The Foundation commits $13 million to extend the UNCF/Merck Science Initiative for another five years.

2007 The Foundation provides $250,000 to support the establishment of the Adel Mahmoud Global Health Scholars Program and Lecture Series at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs to engage outstanding Princeton undergraduates in global health policy, with the long-term goal of producing scientists and policy leaders who will work to address some of the world's most pressing global health issues. Photo: Dr. Adel Mahmoud