WHY BUREAUCRACY KILLS BREAKTHROUGHS AND WHAT PHILANTHROPY CAN DO ABOUT IT

If you want to slow progress down, wrap it in red tape.

That’s the reality for far too much medical research in this country. Scientists with bold ideas spend more time formatting grant proposals than actually running experiments. And when the funding does come through, it’s often a year too late, tied up in approval cycles, institutional requirements, and layers of administrative overhead.

The worst part? Some of the most promising ideas never even get submitted. They’re too early. Too weird. Too hard to explain in five pages or less.

HOW BUREAUCRACY STRANGLES BREAKTHROUGH THINKING

The structure of traditional research funding, especially at large institutions or through government agencies, favors the familiar. Review boards reward projects that already look “proven.” That means risk-taking, unconventional thinkers are pushed to the margins.

The incentives are backwards. If you want to get funding, don’t ask a new question. Just ask a slightly better version of one that’s already been answered. But that’s not how innovation works. The biggest breakthroughs often come from ideas that don’t fit the mold, at first.

WHERE PHILANTHROPY COMES IN

Private philanthropy isn’t meant to replace government funding. But it can unlock what bureaucracy can’t.

At the JKTG Foundation, we look for projects that might never make it through traditional channels. Not because they lack merit, but because they don’t look “safe” on paper. We’re not afraid to go early. We fund translational research that’s messy, iterative, and grounded in impact, not just academic prestige.

And most importantly, we move fast. When something looks promising, we don’t spend 12 months in review. We vet it thoroughly and then make a call. That speed matters because in cancer research, time isn’t just money. It’s lives.

LESS GLOSS. MORE GUTS.

The science community doesn’t need another flashy initiative or round of virtue signaling. It needs funders who are willing to ask hard questions:

• What barriers are slowing this work down?

• Is this project designed to check boxes or to save lives?

• How do we help researchers do what they were trained to do: solve problems, not chase paperwork?

When philanthropy operates with clarity and conviction, it can challenge the systems that have gotten too comfortable.

FINAL THOUGHT

Bureaucracy might be part of the system, but it shouldn’t be the gatekeeper of progress. Smart philanthropy can cut through the noise, unlock overlooked research, and help ideas move from bench to bedside.

That’s why we fund the way we do. Because the best ideas don’t always come with the best paperwork. And science shouldn’t have to wait in line.