Business / Fundraising

 

Michael Bassoff is a nationally recognized leader in health philanthropy, biomedical research fundraising, and foundation management. With more than 30 years of experience—including nearly two decades as a foundation CEO—he is known for his ability to forge innovative, high-impact partnerships across sectors, securing major investments in scientific research, higher education, and public health. He is also a published author and sought-after speaker on the future of philanthropy and relationship-driven fundraising.

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Mr. Bassoff began his career at the University of Arizona, where he launched and led a comprehensive development effort for the university's academic medical center. Over sixteen years, he built a national volunteer organization and helped position the institution as a national leader in academic medicine and biomedical research.

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In 1997, he returned to his native New Jersey to become president of the Foundation of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), the nation’s largest public health sciences university at the time. During his time at UMDNJ, he worked closely with the Foundation’s Board of Directors to strategically expand operations statewide. He guided the Foundation’s transformation into the New Jersey Health Foundation, which supports scientific innovation and commercialization across New Jersey’s university-based biomedical community.

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In 2002, at the request of the late Senator John McCain and a coalition of Arizona leaders, Mr. Bassoff returned to Arizona to become Founding President of the TGen Foundation, created to support the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) following the completion of the Human Genome Project. He helped secure an initial $90 million in public and private investments to launch the Institute, and over the next 13 years, he built a national board and volunteer network that contributed more than $300 million in fundraising.

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Following his tenure at TGen, Mr. Bassoff served as President of the IDRI Foundation, supporting the Infectious Disease Research Institute in Seattle, and later led the Northern Arizona University Foundation, where he focused on university-wide advancement and donor engagement. He currently consults with a select group of nonprofit organizations, research institutions, and philanthropic foundations, including NORC at the University of Chicago, where he is helping to expand cross-sector partnerships focused on data, democracy, and public policy.

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Mr. Bassoff is the co-author of RelationShift: Revolutionary Fundraising, written with best-selling author Steve Chandler. The book outlines a human-centered, transformational approach to building lasting philanthropic partnerships.