Barnaby Marsh

PostedSeptember 27, 2026

UpdatedSeptember 27, 2026

ByEpsteinWiki

Barnaby Marsh and Jeffrey Epstein: Templeton Funding, Scientific Introductions and Trust Records

Snapshot

Barnaby Marsh is a philanthropy adviser and former executive vice president of the John Templeton Foundation. Released correspondence shows that he and Jeffrey Epstein discussed research funding, scientists, grant proposals and meetings for approximately a decade after Epstein’s 2008 conviction.

Their relationship had practical consequences. Marsh asked whether Epstein could help fund Martin Nowak’s Harvard research program. He discussed potential Templeton support for Joi Ito and the MIT Media Lab with Epstein. He received a formal letter proposing that Epstein’s Enhanced Education work alongside Templeton on a Nowak project. He also introduced Deepak Chopra to Epstein, according to Chopra’s account to CBS News.

Two separate Epstein trust agreements name Marsh as a possible successor trustee. Neither document, by itself, establishes that Marsh knew he had been named or accepted an appointment. The available records do not establish that Marsh participated in Epstein’s sexual abuse.

Key Takeaways

In 2009, Marsh described an $11 million Templeton grant for work associated with Martin Nowak and asked Epstein whether he could contribute additional money. Marsh discussed placing part of Templeton’s grant in an external philanthropic vehicle, but the email does not prove that the arrangement was implemented.
In 2013 and 2014, Marsh discussed potential multimillion dollar Templeton proposals involving Joi Ito and Nowak. Proposed amounts must not be counted as completed grants.
MIT’s independent investigation confirms that Marsh attended meetings with Epstein and Ito at the Media Lab in April 2014 and April 2016. Both concerned possible Templeton funding.
A signed December 2015 letter addressed to Marsh proposed that Epstein’s Enhanced Education participate in a Nowak research proposal. It identified $1,500,328 in previously allocated Harvard contributions, not a verified new payment.
Epstein suggested an offshore company through which Marsh might receive certain fees. Marsh expressed interest in discussing the idea further. The reviewed correspondence does not show that such a company was created or used.
Deepak Chopra told CBS News that Marsh introduced him to Epstein as a potential funder of research on the brain and consciousness.
Epstein named Marsh as a possible successor trustee in a 2018 trust and again in his August 2019 trust. The agreements require a signed acceptance before a successor takes office. No signed acceptance by Marsh is established by the cited records.

Background and Professional Positions

The Institute for Advanced Study’s profile lists Marsh’s Cornell degree, Oxford doctorate and Rhodes Scholarship. It also records appointments connected to Harvard’s Center for Evolutionary Dynamics and visiting periods at the Institute for Advanced Study.

In the correspondence at issue, Marsh was a senior John Templeton Foundation official. A December 2015 letter addressed to him gives his titles as executive vice president for strategic initiatives and managing director of the foundation’s Philanthropic Leadership Network.

Marsh later worked through Saint Partners. The Rhodes Trust’s biography identifies him as a partner and describes his advisory work with wealthy donors, foundations and nonprofit organizations. A March 2019 message preserved in Epstein’s files carries a Saint Partners founder title in Marsh’s signature block.

His Templeton title explains why grant applicants and researchers approached him. It does not mean that every sum discussed in an email became an approved Templeton grant.

The 2009 Templeton Grant and Harvard

The earliest detailed financial exchange concerns Nowak’s Program for Evolutionary Dynamics at Harvard. In a May 12, 2009 email chain, Marsh described an $11 million Templeton grant and the costs of keeping Nowak’s center operating.

Marsh said he intended to put $6 million of the grant into an external philanthropic vehicle, such as a donor advised fund or another account, and approximately $5 million through Harvard. He estimated that using an external vehicle could save the project $600,000 in overhead. He also said Templeton’s charter limited its ability to cover the center’s rent.

Marsh then asked whether Epstein could provide additional contributions or identify other potential donors. Later in the exchange, he proposed raising another $6 million alongside the existing Templeton grant. He also said he planned to seek Templeton approval for a further $2 million supplement after the project’s second year.

Four different financial categories appear in those messages:

Existing grant: Marsh described $11 million as a Templeton grant.
Proposed allocation: He outlined a plan to divide that grant between Harvard and an external vehicle.
Fundraising goal: He wanted to raise another $6 million from additional sources.
Possible future supplement: He intended to ask Templeton for another $2 million.

The correspondence does not establish that Epstein supplied the additional $6 million, that Templeton approved the supplement, or that Marsh completed the external allocation exactly as proposed.

Harvard’s investigation found that the university received no gifts from Epstein after his 2008 conviction. Later discussions of support for Nowak therefore cannot be treated as proof of a new postconviction gift from Epstein to Harvard.

The Lawrence Krauss Funding Discussion

In a June 18, 2009 email, Lawrence Krauss told Epstein that he had met with Barnaby and discussed an anonymous gift. Krauss described a possible starting amount of $2 million, a larger amount if the work performed well, and the possibility of Epstein matching support.

That email is Krauss’s description of a conversation. It is not a grant agreement or Marsh’s own statement of approved terms. The available record does not establish that the proposed gift or match occurred.

The episode shows why Marsh mattered within Epstein’s research circle: he held a position at a major grantmaking foundation, and researchers discussed possible foundation support with him while separately seeking Epstein’s money.

Epstein’s Offshore Company Suggestion

A separate June 2009 message from Epstein to Marsh concerns fees that Marsh might receive from a fund or trust. Epstein suggested setting up an offshore corporation to receive them. He connected the suggestion to a concern about being in a particular place for more than 180 days.

In another copy of the exchange, Marsh replied that the idea was interesting and suggested continuing the discussion.

The correspondence does not identify the jurisdiction, the precise residency or tax rule Epstein had in mind, or a completed transaction. It does not show that Marsh established an offshore corporation. It documents Epstein giving specific financial structuring advice and Marsh responding favorably to further discussion.

Science Funding and Conference Planning

Marsh and Epstein discussed scientific subjects as well as grant mechanics. In a June 2009 email, Epstein outlined possible areas to fund, including signal processing, information theory, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

A 2010 reminder sent to Epstein mentions a joint Templeton Foundation and Santa Fe Institute meeting on complexity science associated with Marsh. The reminder establishes that the event was being discussed. It does not establish Epstein’s attendance.

Marsh also appears in planning documents for a proposed gathering associated with Marvin Minsky. A September 2011 guest list names him alongside researchers and other invited figures. Additional conference planning correspondence repeats his name. These are records of planning and invitations; an individual list entry is not proof of attendance.

A March 2016 exchange involving Marsh, Epstein and Nowak discusses possible new work on evolutionary systems, chance events and biological computing. The content shows an intellectual relationship beyond scheduling breakfast or forwarding invitations. It does not establish that a new institute or research program resulted.

Templeton Proposals for Joi Ito and the MIT Media Lab

On September 29, 2013, Marsh wrote to Joi Ito and copied Epstein. He proposed preparing a Templeton application for the following spring, with a possible request of approximately $2 million to $4 million. He also suggested connecting the proposal with projects developing around Epstein.

The relationship reached a specific staffing question in October 2013. In correspondence concerning researcher Joscha Bach, Ito asked Epstein whether Marsh had responded about possible Templeton funding. Epstein said he would ask. Ito and Epstein also discussed Bach’s proposed MIT salary and possible support for the difference between MIT’s planned amount and Bach’s requested amount. That exchange establishes a funding discussion, not a completed Templeton salary award.

By September 2014, Ito had sent Marsh an early Media Lab proposal draft while copying Epstein. The message said Epstein thought Marsh should see it before a planned call. A proposal preserved in the released records likewise identifies conversations involving Ito and Marsh as part of its development.

The independent institutional account is especially important. MIT’s investigation found that Epstein visited the Media Lab on April 21, 2014, and met with Ito, Marsh and Professor Kevin Slavin. According to Ito, they discussed possible Templeton support. The same report confirms an April 1, 2016 visit during which Epstein met Ito, Professor Joe Jacobson and Marsh for a similar discussion.

MIT confirms the meetings and their stated purpose. Its account does not establish that Templeton awarded the proposed Media Lab funding.

Proposed Matching Support for Ito and Martin Nowak

In November 2014, Epstein asked Marsh whether he should offer a matching grant for Ito or Nowak. Marsh’s reply discussed possible Templeton support in the range of $3 million to $4 million for each. He suggested covering certain administrative costs while Epstein might focus on fellowships.

One automated transcription of this email drops a character and turns the range into $34 million. A second copy of the same exchange preserves the intended $3 million to $4 million range. There is no basis in these messages for describing a $34 million offer.

In a November 23 message, Marsh gave Epstein a more detailed account of the projects. He said Nowak had a current Templeton grant and that a second proposed grant had not yet been reviewed or approved. Marsh believed a written offer of additional support could help the pending application. For Ito, he considered whether support should go through MIT or another route and discussed difficulties in preparing the proposal.

The distinction is central: Marsh described existing funding, pending applications and possible matching support in the same conversation. The proposed grants and Epstein match should not be reported as completed payments.

The Enhanced Education Letter Addressed to Marsh

The Nowak proposal produced a formal letter in late 2015. Correspondence involving Nowak shows urgency around getting a letter to Marsh while a Templeton application was under consideration. Darren Indyke sent Epstein a revised draft and asked for approval before sending it.

A signed letter dated December 2, 2015 is addressed to Marsh at the John Templeton Foundation. It is written on behalf of Enhanced Education, an Epstein associated entity. The letter proposes participation alongside Templeton in a research project involving Nowak’s work on evolutionary game theory and behavioral science.

The letter identifies $1,500,328 in contributions previously allocated to a Harvard fund and budgeted for the project. It divides the amount into $1,304,633 in direct costs and $195,695 in indirect costs. A second signed copy preserves the same substantive proposal.

The record establishes that Epstein’s foundation formally presented its claimed contribution as relevant to a Templeton proposal. It does not show Templeton accepting funds from Enhanced Education. The amount should not be described as a new $1.5 million payment made when the letter was signed.

Introductions to Researchers and Public Figures

Marsh did more than receive proposals. His messages sometimes helped connect people with Epstein.

In 2014 correspondence, Marsh raised surgeon and entrepreneur Patrick Soon Shiong as someone Epstein might find interesting. In a 2016 message, Marsh relayed interest in a possible meeting involving James Watson and separately mentioned Helen Fisher. Those messages document proposed connections; they do not establish that every suggested meeting took place.

A confirmed introduction comes from Deepak Chopra’s statement to CBS News. Chopra said Marsh introduced him to Epstein as someone who might fund research on the brain and consciousness. A July 2016 email exchange also places Marsh, Chopra and Epstein in direct correspondence.

Chopra told CBS that no research project resulted from their interactions. His account establishes Marsh’s role in making the introduction, while limiting any claim about an eventual grant.

Visits, Schedules and Travel

The files contain repeated arrangements for Marsh to see Epstein. A September 2013 message confirms a planned appointment. A February 2018 schedule lists another. Such entries demonstrate planned access, although a schedule alone does not always prove a meeting occurred.

An April 1, 2016 travel schedule records Marsh traveling with Epstein toward Boston area meetings. MIT’s independently commissioned investigation confirms their Media Lab meeting that day. The itinerary and MIT finding can therefore be read together for that visit.

Marsh later described his reasons for going to Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse. In reporting on Epstein’s calendars, the Wall Street Journal interviewed Marsh about gatherings that brought together academics, wealthy donors and people interested in philanthropy. His account offers his stated explanation for attending; it does not determine what he knew about Epstein’s abuse.

Contact and Comments in 2019

The relationship continued into 2019. A January exchange shows Epstein and Marsh discussing press coverage of James Watson. In a March 2019 message, Marsh responded to material Epstein sent him about coverage of Epstein’s own case and characterized it as a media controversy rather than a legal problem.

On March 18 and 19, the two exchanged a message about a scientific article concerning whether humans can sense magnetic fields. This is among the latest dated email exchanges identified in the focused correspondence review.

A separate device extraction containing Skype records has been reported as recording contact between accounts associated with Marsh and Epstein later in 2019, including an entry dated June 21. That device record should be distinguished from the dated email correspondence. It indicates later account activity; the cited extract does not disclose the substance of a telephone conversation.

The 2018 and 2019 Trust Agreements

Marsh appears in two different trust instruments, a significant fact missing from accounts that mention only Epstein’s final trust.

The Jeffrey E. Epstein 2018 Trust, dated May 8, 2018, lists Marsh first in a provision for filling a vacancy among its trustees.

The 1953 Trust, dated August 8, 2019, lists Boris Nikolic first and Marsh second, followed by other possible successors. That instrument was dated after Epstein’s July 2019 arrest and shortly before his death.

Both agreements provide that a successor trustee’s appointment becomes effective upon signing an acceptance. Being named in a document does not establish that Marsh received notice, consented or served. The cited record does not show a signed acceptance from him.

What the Evidence Establishes

Marsh was an active participant in Epstein’s scientific and philanthropic network. He discussed major grant proposals with Epstein, sought his potential support for Nowak, helped develop possible Templeton funding paths involving Ito, attended two independently confirmed MIT meetings with him, and introduced Chopra to him.

The records also leave important boundaries. They do not establish that Marsh committed a crime, took part in Epstein’s sexual abuse, implemented the offshore idea, secured every proposed grant, or became a trustee. Individual emails must be read as what they are: correspondence about intentions, plans, applications or completed actions, depending on the document.

Evidence Appearances

Questions Raised by the Records

How was the $11 million Templeton grant ultimately distributed, and was the proposed external vehicle created?
Which Templeton proposals discussed with Ito and Nowak were approved, and on what final terms?
Did Epstein provide any of the additional or matching funds discussed with Marsh?
What effect, if any, did the Enhanced Education letter have on Templeton’s consideration of Nowak’s proposal?
Was the offshore arrangement Epstein suggested ever implemented?
What was the full extent of Marsh’s contact with Epstein in the final months before Epstein’s arrest?
Was Marsh told that either trust named him, and did he ever sign an acceptance?

The cited documents do not resolve these questions.

Sources

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