According to the New York Times, the Starr Foundation is planning to donate $50 million to three Upper East Side medical institutions (Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Rockefeller University and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) in order to conduct stem cell research. Details on how the $50 million will be allocated has not yet been determined, but officials say that "the foundation favors projects that cross institutional boundaries." Interestingly, the foundation also said that it was not attempting to make a political statement about stem cell research -- the broader goal was simply to keep New York City as a world leader in medical science.