The Charles Welch and Andrea Katz Fund
An endowment fund to support the Duke Lemur Center in perpetuity
To make a special gift* to the Charles Welch and Andrea Katz Fund, click on their vintage photo above, or scroll down for more information.
Join us in honoring DLC Conservation Coordinator Charlie Welch and former DLC Colony Curator and conservationist Andrea Katz, and their tremendous impact on the protection of the flora and fauna of Madagascar!
Throughout his career, Charlie has been a visionary and a devoted leader for the DLC, nurturing relationships with the people and organizations of Madagascar to conserve biodiversity while supporting the livelihoods of local people. Together with his wife, Andrea, and the support of the Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group, they established the conservation center at Parc Ivoloina and the Betampona Nature Reserve. Read more in this article about Charlie’s career!
We’re proud to announce that in honor of his retirement, The Charles Welch and Andrea Katz Fund has been created! This fund will provide a way for donors to designate special gifts* and legacy gifts, of any amount, to support the DLC in perpetuity. Scroll down to see our goals and our progress!
* The Welch and Katz fund is a special way to honor Charlie and Andrea while also supporting the DLC in perpetuity. Please consider making a gift to this new endowment fund an additional way to support our conservation work, since we rely on your annual gift for the upcoming year’s budget and operations
How to contribute to the fund
To provide a special gift or pledge toward the Charles Welch and Andrea Katz Fund, you can give or pledge online.
Alternatively, you may write a check to “Duke University.” Please include “Welch + Katz Fund #6119150” in the memo section and/or on an attached note/letter and mail it to:
Duke Lemur Center
c/o Office of Gift Records
Box 90581
Durham, NC 27708-0581
If you wish to make or update an existing legacy gift commitment to designate The Charles Welch and Andrea Katz Fund as the designated purpose for all or part of your eventual gift, complete a new legacy gift commitment form and mail it to the address on the form, or email it as a digital file to Mary Paisley at mary.paisley@duke.edu.
Questions about the Charles Welch and Andrea Katz Fund? Contact Mary Paisley, Duke Lemur Center Development Director, at mary.paisley@duke.edu or (919) 401-7252.
Progress Updates
Goal #1: (Accomplished!) Enlist $100,000 in pledges to establish the fund
We reached this goal in September 2024! Thank you to five generous DLC donors who pledged a total of $125,000 to establish the fund with Duke University.
Pledges received thus far: $125,000
Goal #2: (Ideally by May 17, 2025) Enlist special gifts* of any amount to achieve $100,000 in payments to activate the fund
When we have enlisted $100,000 in actual payments, the fund will be activated and begin to generate revenues to support the Duke Lemur Center in perpetuity.
Goal #3: (Long-term goal) Enlist the minimum requirement to allow the fund to be formally restricted to Madagascar conservation and biodiversity protection
Our ultimate goal is to formally restrict this fund to Madagascar conservation and biodiversity protection, and for it to continue to grow and fund the DLC’s conservation work! In order to do this, we need to meet the minimum funding level for a restricted fund under Duke University, which is currently $300,000.
Status: $125,000 in pledges as of 10/28/2024
Ongoing: Enlist new legacy commitments of any amount that are designated to the fund
New legacy gift designations to the fund thus far: 2 pending
This fund will offer DLC donors an option to designate their legacy gift of any size to the DLC. Thus far, two of our existing legacy gift donors are considering formally designating their planned gifts to the fund, and others are considering it.
