During the past decade, the Foundation has funded projects related to basic science. In keeping with the wishes of Willard Eccles, much of this funding has been directed toward healthcare-related projects and/or those addressing issues related to the betterment of humanity or understanding the natural world around us. Among the largest of the Foundation’s basic sciences grants have been those to the University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute, and to its Department of Physics for the creation of the Willard L. Eccles Observatory and Telescope in Southwestern Utah. This project alone has significantly upgraded the astronomy teaching program at the University of Utah, contributing significantly to the creation of five new tenure tract professorships and enabling the University to become one of the major research partners in the currently ongoing Sloan Digital Sky Survey.