THE IMPORTANCE OF
ENDOWMENT
A GENERAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE INSTITUTE
The importance of endowment lies in its permanence. Revenues from invested funds provide a hedge against financial challenges, especially important as the KITP is largely dependent upon public funding. Discretionary income from endowment dramatically enhances the institute's ability to respond to scientific discovery and to take the risks necessary to seed emerging science. Endowment gifts reflect a profound belief in the international leadership of the KITP, and provide enduring support for the overall health of the institute.
ENDOWED CHAIRS
Endowment funding is needed to establish five academic chairs that
are critical to attracting and retaining leading theorists as Permanent Members of the KITP. The revenue from an endowed chair also provides discretionary funds essential for timely programmatic
responses to scientific discoveries, particularly in emerging
interdisciplinary fields that fall between traditional boundaries
of funding organizations, and to attract top post-doctoral students.
DISTINGUISHED GENERAL MEMBERS ENDOWMENT
This endowed fund would provide partial salary replacement for distinguished scientists participating in or coordinating a program, who wish to take significant sabbatical leave at the KITP. Currently the KITP is extremely constrained in what it is able to offer these eminent scientists, and their participation increasingly is limited to thosewho can bring significant independent funding. A hallmark of the institute's success for over 25 years has been the presence of leading scientists from around the world in the innovative KITP programs.
