These principal ($1M and up) and major ($100,000 to $1M) gift opportunities provide powerful, new, and exciting directions for the Duke Lemur Center to expand its reach and positive impact on scientific discovery, student experiences, Madagascar conservation—and the protection of lemurs, the most endangered group of mammals on Earth.
For more information on these opportunities, please contact the DLC’s development officer, Mary Paisley, at (919) 401-7252 or mary.paisley@duke.edu. She would love to talk with you!
Naming opportunities
Note: All named spaces are subject to approval by Duke University’s Board of Trustees.
A new named animal care building at the Duke Lemur Center, serving as “The Ark”: $59 million for construction + operations endowment
A new named animal care building at the Duke Lemur Center will serve as “The Ark” for special lemur populations: one wing will be devoted to nocturnal Aye-ayes and will provide optimal housing design and free-ranging access; and a separate wing devoted to our diurnal Blue-eyed black lemurs and Coquerel’s sifaka lemur species.
A new named Discovery Center at the Duke Lemur Center: $43 million for construction + operations endowment
Provide a unique hub of learning and scientific discovery, exploring primate history and evolution, biodiversity, conservation, and research. This would serve as a public space to share our rare and vast collection of primate fossils currently housed at the DLC’s Museum of Natural History on Broad Street.
A new named nocturnal wing at the Duke Lemur Center: $30 million for construction + operations endowment
Expand housing of our small-bodied nocturnal species that provide our most promising translational research opportunities in cognition and dementia/Alzheimer’s Disease (mouse lemurs), and hibernation and torpor (fat-tailed dwarf lemurs).
Major gifts
Start-up funding to establish a geneticist within our research department: $300,000 (this can be a pledge, paid over three years)
The addition of a scientist specializing in molecular biology or genetics to the Duke Lemur Center’s research team would be a reality with a new gift of $300,000, or $100,000 per year over 3 years. This gift would provide the seed money for this position, along with an exciting and important opportunity to expand our research programs in the Anna Borruel Codina Center for Lemur Research and Medicine and beyond! This funding will enable us to build upon our successful and growing collaborative work with the DLC’s hibernation research program to elucidate molecular drivers of varied metabolic strategies. This position will further our ability to mentor interns and engage them in more research activities while also expanding our longer term reach, impact, and capacity through publishing articles and pursuing and grant proposals.
Start-up funding to establish a scientist within our animal welfare team: $300,000 (this can be a pledge, paid over three years)
The addition of a scientist to the Duke Lemur Center’s animal welfare team would be a reality with a new gift of $300,000, or $100,000 per year over 3 years. This gift would provide the seed money for this position, which will exponentially further our innovative approaches and advances in the care of lemurs in zoos and at wildlife parks around the world. This position will also expand our ability to collaborate with other zoos, to lead research projects focused on animal welfare, and to mentor students and provide scientific explorations and behavior study experiences for interns and other students who learn from our extraordinary colony of lemurs, Earth’s most endangered mammals
Major and principal gifts for lemur care at the DLC: ($100,000+)
Provide restricted support toward the care of the extraordinary lemur colony at the DLC, including but not limited to: equipment to support a proactive animal training and enrichment program, conservation breeding program support, training opportunities for animal care staff, and wages within the curatorial and animal care team. A gift of $300,000 or more can create a named endowment for lemur care. $3.5 million would fully fund and name a curator position (there are two) at the Duke Lemur Center.
Major and principal gifts for veterinary care at the DLC: ($100,000+)
Provide restricted support for the veterinary program at the DLC, including but not limited to, veterinary equipment and associated departmental technology needs, diagnostic testing, medicine, and wages within the veterinary team. A gift of $300,000 or more can create a named endowment that may be restricted to a specific area of veterinary care DLC. $3.5 million would fully fund and name a veterinarian position (there are two).
Major and principal gifts for Madagascar conservation: ($100,000+)
Provide restricted support for the Duke Lemur Center’s community-based conservation and capacity-strengthening programs as well as targeted lemur conservation initiatives on the island. A gift of $300,000 or more can create a named endowment to support specific areas of Madagascar Conservation. $3.5 million would fully endow and name the Conservation Coordinator’s position.
Major and principal gifts to support DLC student projects: ($100,000+)
Provide restricted support for student programs at the DLC including costs associated with training and managing students enrolled in the internship program or serving as volunteers, stipends for interns, and wages necessary for staff to manage and supervise students. This program trains the next generation of lemur biologists, veterinarians, conservationists, and science educators. A gift of $300,000 or more can create a named endowment for student projects at the DLC. $6 million would fully endow and name the student projects and internship program at the Duke Lemur Center.
Major gift to preserve the Museum of Natural History’s fossil collection ($100,000+): This project will improve how the fossils are stored to prevent degradation due to fluctuations in in temperature and humidity. It will also create greater access to the global scientific community and students via 3D scanning and posting to the DFP’s digital collection of fossil images. A gift of $300,000 or more can create a named endowment for student projects at the DLC. $5 million would fully endow the Museum of Natural History at the Duke Lemur Center.
Endowments
Endowments are a priority to secure the Duke Lemur Center’s financial future and to extend its impact for the protection of lemurs, conservation in Madagascar, opportunities for students, and scientific discovery through non-invasive research. For more information, visit our Endowments Page.
Bequests and Legacy Gifts
Major ($100,000+) and principal ($1 million+) gifts to the Duke Lemur Center from donors who include us in their will or estate plans are transformational gifts for our future. The Duke Lemur Center can provide many exciting ways to leave a legacy after you are gone. Learn more about legacy gifts.
Questions?
For more details on any of the opportunities above, please contact Mary Paisley at (919) 401-7252 or mary.paisley@duke.edu. Thank you so much for your support!
