This is the third report in a series examining JDRF financial disclosures for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. It focuses on the costs directly related to the critical task of distributing grants to fund T1D research. Referred to as ‘research administration,’ these costs include payroll, rent, meetings, conferences and other administrative costs involved in selecting which research grants to fund.

Research administration costs have risen sharply over the past year, continuing a 20-year trend. The figures below illustrate that while funding for T1D research grants has decreased over the past twenty years, the internal costs associated with administering these research grants has significantly increased. No other expense category has grown as rapidly as research administration.

Key Facts and Figures:

  • $17 Million: The amount that JDRF spent on administering research grants in 2020. JDRF spent the same amount on grant administration in 2019, while providing an additional $20 million in research grants. In other words, JDRF spent the same amount of money in 2020 to administer 22% less research than the prior year. See Appendix A & B.
  • $0.25: The amount JDRF spent on administrative costs for each dollar given to research grants in 2020. See Appendix C.
  • $0.06: The amount JDRF spent on administrative costs for each dollar given to research grants in 2001. See Appendix C.
  • +317%: The increase in cost to administer each dollar of research grants from 2001 to 2020. See Appendix C.
  • -40%: The decrease in T1D research grant funding from 2001 to 2020. See Appendix A.
  • 3x: The amount the five-year average research administration costs increased over the past twenty years -- $0.08 to $0.24. See Appendix D.
  • $147 Million: The amount of additional funding that would have been available to fund research grants over the last 20 years if JDRF maintained internal administrative costs to its 2001 proportion ($0.06 per dollar).

Appendix A: Research Grant Spending, 2001-2020 (Millions)

Appendix B: Research Admin Spending, 2001-2020 (Millions)

Appendix C: Cost to Administer $1 of Research Grants, 2001-2020

Appendix D: Cost to Administer $1 of Research Grants (Five Year