Salk Institute Receives Record $30 Million Gift

November 18, 2003

Salk Institute Receives Record $30 Million Gift

November 18, 2003

La Jolla, CA – An anonymous donor has made a $30 million donation to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, providing the largest single gift in the history of the Institute.

The donor has designated the gift to “grow the general endowment of the Institute so that it can maintain strength and flexibility in pursuing the best basic science and most promising scientists. Basic research in biology is an investment in human beings and in humanitarianism. Salk is in a unique position to contribute and this donor is proud to contribute to the future of the Salk”.

“We are extremely grateful for this transforming gift that will have a profound impact on research at the Salk” said Dr. Richard A. Murphy, president and CEO of the Salk Institute. “It is particularly gratifying to see one donor make such a major investment in the power of basic research.”

According to Murphy, “This gift to endowment will help ensure the Institute’s future financial health and independence, its operating flexibility, and its ability to respond to the demands imposed by rapidly progressing science. Endowment represents the guaranteed venture capital that the Institute needs to make strategic investments in long-term programs, to attract new faculty, and to support emerging lines of research and new scientific initiatives.”

The gift comes in the wake of a series of significant research accomplishments at the Salk Institute. During the past several months, Salk scientists have made significant advances in the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, AIDS, obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

“Philanthropy such as this fuels these research efforts,” said Murphy.

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, located in La Jolla, Calif., is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to fundamental discoveries in the life sciences, the improvement of human health and conditions, and the training of future generations of researchers. The Institute was founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, M.D., with a gift of land from the City of San Diego and the financial support of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.