Thank you to the generous donors who supported the Innovation Research Program Endowment through DRI’s 2024 year-end giving campaign. These gifts brought us significantly closer to raising the $5M needed to fully fund the IRP Endowment and ensure support for innovative research is available to DRI scientists for generations to come.
The IRP Endowment was established in the summer of 2024, thanks to generous support from the Bretzlaff Foundation and the Tom and Mary Gallagher Foundation. Mary Kay Gallagher, Trustee of the Gallagher Foundation, stated “We are honored to lead the fundraising campaign to create an IRP Endowment in memory of Thomas Gallagher, who was a catalyst for establishing the IRP program in 2018. Tom strongly believed in supporting cutting-edge scientific research at DRI. His family is pleased to support this important fundraising initiative.”
IRP funds go directly to DRI scientists as they carry on DRI’s legacy of advancing science that matters now. IRP-backed projects are rooted in finding solutions to the world’s toughest environmental challenges. Further, IRP funding gives DRI scientists the rare opportunity to test emerging ideas and produce the initial data needed to apply for further funding from state and federal grants. To date, the IRP funding awarded to DRI faculty has resulted in over $20M in additional funding secured.
Thank you again to our donors who supported cutting-edge research by donating to the IRP Endowment in 2024. Together, we can fund critical research for a better future.
To learn more about or to support the IRP Endowment, please visit www.dri.edu/irp.
