Support the Institute

Since its inception, the Institute for Advanced Study has benefited from, and depended on, a generous endowment to pursue its objectives, as described in a letter from its Founders, Louis Bamberger and his sister, Caroline Bamberger Fuld, to the Institutes’ first Board of Trustees: “The primary purpose is the pursuit of advanced learning and exploration in fields of pure science and high scholarship to the utmost degree that the facilities of the institution and the ability of the Faculty and students will permit.”

The founding family made an initial gift of $5 million and followed with additional gifts that amounted to a total of over $200 million in today’s value. The endowment has been significantly enhanced by the generosity of subsequent donors and careful management by the Institute’s Trustees and Officers. The endowment gives the Institute freedom and flexibility when it comes to choosing which lines of research to pursue, an independence that is becoming increasingly rare.

Income from the endowment is the main source of support for the Institute’s annual spending, which includes Faculty salaries and benefits, Members’ stipends, general and administrative support, subsidies for housing and meals, debt service, fixed asset maintenance and capital requirements. Other funding sources include government and private foundation grants, as well as ongoing contributions from the Association of Members of the Institute for Advanced Study (AMIAS), and the Friends of the Institute for Advanced Study.

Abraham Flexner, the Institute’s founding Director, invited the world’s greatest minds to the Institute for Advanced Study with a promise not of “duties” but of “opportunities.” Today, the Institute continues to attract exceptionally talented scholars and scientists whose intellectual explorations are extending further than Flexner could have dreamed. Supporting this extraordinary enterprise of learning enables advances in knowledge that change the way we understand the world.

There are many ways of including the Institute in your philanthropic plans: with gifts of annual support, major gifts of endowment and program support, or with gifts made in conjunction with your estate planning process. All gifts provide meaningful support to the Institute, and also secure financial benefits and tax advantages for you and your loved ones.

The information presented on the Institute website is not offered as legal or tax advice.  Please seek the advice of your tax advisor, attorney, and/or financial planner to insure that any gift you consider fits with your overall financial plans.