News archives 2010-2021

Philanthropy series for research scientists

January 25, 2021

Tori Tragis





A set of three philanthropy workshops for research scientists will be held in February, April and September. Team of four to five members, as well as individual researchers, are invited to attend. The series is sponsored by Alaska NSF EPSCoR and Alaska INBRE, in partnership with the UA Foundation, and hosted by Advancement Resources. Space is limited.






Why attend?

The workshops build on the Nov. 4, 2020, Insight into Private Philanthropy workshop. Participants at these further events will gain a fundamental understanding of how to secure additional research resources through partnerships with our universities’ professional development teams.


The three sessions includes specific guidance on discussing your science with donors, optimizing donor meetings, articulating your compelling story, identifying the right donors, building trust-based relationships, securing financial commitment, and much more.


The events are built on a blended-learning approach that incorporates both in-person and virtual components as well as large- and small-group exercises (subject to COVID-19 restrictions). Each session will include a three-and-a-half-hour large group learning segment and a 45-minute small group coaching segment for teams.


Who should attend?

The workshops are recommended for both individuals and teams that wish to diversify funding sources and work with private donors. A modest investment of time has the potential to reap big rewards. We encourage teams from the research centers and UA campuses to experience the workshops together to take full advantage of the content and to strategize on implementation.


We plan to accept up to 10 teams of four to five participants, or a total of 50 individuals. Participants must commit to attend all three sessions. Approximate dates will be:



  • Session #1: Feb. 24


  • Session #2: week of April 15


  • Session #3: week of Sept. 14




Final acceptances will be made by Feb. 5 to ensure strong participation from across UA. Priority will be given to small teams of four to five people who want to advance specific ideas for research and scholarly activities.

If you have questions or would like to reserve space for individual researchers or teams, please contact Tara Borland at taborland@alaska.edu or Megan Riebe at mriebe@alaska.edu.



If you have questions for your development team please send them to Samara Taber at setaber@alaska.edu.