Kukucka Foundation

Created in 2023 in his namesake, the Kukucka Foundation (EIN 99-6099145) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization that makes grants to serve the public good. With a committed endowment of $20 million (minimum) in perpetuity, the foundation intends to reward gifted and talented students who pursue a STEM centered course of study in the biological and material sciences using electron microscopy.

"Anything worth doing today for the advancement of humankind is and will be done under an electron microscope..."

-Mark A. Kukucka

• Advancing the art & science of discovery in the ultrastructural world for gifted and talented students training in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and/or scanning electron microscopy (SEM) academic programs

• Providing scholarships to aspiring students (MS & PhD) who dedicate themselves to TEM and SEM studies (known as Kukucka Scholars)

• Offering other scholarships and financial assistance to support STEM centered students in the biological and material science worlds

1. Scholarships available thru Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA), University of Maryland (College Park, MD), Civil Air Patrol (Maxwell AFB, AL), Eastern Technical High School (Essex, MD), St Stephen's Catholic Church (Bradshaw, MD), St Paul's Lutheran Church (Kingsville, MD)

2. Endowments set-up at Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA), University of Maryland (College Park, MD), Civil Air Patrol (Maxwell AFB, AL)

n.b. Scholarships and endowments totaling $100,000 were made in 2023