The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation is a U. S. philanthropic foundation established by Peter and Patricia Gruber and based in the U.S. Virgin Islands

United States Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...

 with offices in New York City.

The foundation has two major activities. The International Prize Program awards five Gruber Prizes on an annual basis:

• Gruber Prize in Cosmology
  Gruber Prize in Cosmology
  The Gruber Prize in Cosmology is one of five international awards made by The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation, an American non-profit organization based in the U.S. Virgin Islands with offices in New York City...
  
   first awarded in 2000
• Gruber Prize in Genetics
  Gruber Prize in Genetics
  The Gruber Prize in Genetics is one five, international awards made by The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation, an American non-profit organization based in the U.S. Virgin Islands with offices in New York City...
  
   first awarded in 2001
• Gruber Prize in Neuroscience
  Gruber Prize in Neuroscience
  The Gruber Prize in Neuroscience is one of five, international awards made by The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation, an American non-profit organization based in the U.S. Virgin Islands with offices in New York City...
  
   first awarded in 2004
• Gruber Prize for Justice
  Gruber Prize for Justice
  The Gruber Prize for Justice is one of five international prizes awarded by The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation, an American non-profit organization based in the U.S. Virgin Islands with offices in New York City...
  
   first awarded in 2001
• Gruber Prize for Women's Rights first awarded in 2003

The prizes, which are awarded to prominent scientists, social scientists, and jurists in these subjects, provide a gold medal and a cash award of $500,000. These prizes are awarded with the co-sponsorship of major scientific organizations.

There are also awards for early career scientists: International Astronomical Union Fellowships, Society for Neuroscience Fellowships, the Rosalind Franklin

Rosalind Franklin

Rosalind Elsie Franklin was a British biophysicist and X-ray crystallographer who made critical contributions to the understanding of the fine molecular structures of DNA, RNA, viruses, coal and graphite...

 Young Investigator Award to a young woman geneticist given in cooperation with the Genetics Society of America

Genetics Society of America

The Genetics Society of America is a scholarly membership society of more than 4000 genetics researchers and educators, established in 1931...

 and the American Society for Human Genetics, and the Peter and Patricia Gruber Awards at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel for scientists there.

The other main sphere of activity is the development of educational, cultural, and social services in the Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...

. This includes a "Laws of Life " essay contest at the four high schools on the Islands.

External links

• Foundation Web site
• Gruber Prizes nomination page
• Facebook page for The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation