THE BRIDGE INITIATIVE:
Two Pillars. One Bridge. Countless Lives Changed.
Medical research often advances in leaps—but it’s the steady work in the spans between that carries it forward.
In science, “bridge funding” keeps discovery alive when there’s a gap between grants. Today, La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), and our nation’s research enterprise as a whole, face a broader gap: shifting federal priorities and threats to scientific freedom risk slowing progress toward better health for all.
LJI’s Bridge Initiative invites visionary donors to come together to close that gap. Your support becomes the bridge—from today’s urgent needs to tomorrow’s life-saving discoveries.
Join us as we seek to raise $10 million through the Bridge Initiative to help drive lifesaving discoveries forward.
A bridge’s strength lies in its pillars. Without them, the span collapses. At LJI, the two pillars of this initiative—the President’s Priority Fund and the Beacon Fund—work together to support the full weight of our mission.
- Our President’s Priority Fund is the pillar of agility—responding instantly when opportunity knocks or when urgent challenges arise.
- Our endowed Beacon Fund is the pillar of endurance—keeping our mission steady no matter how the currents shift beneath us.
Together, these pillars hold up the path between the scientific discoveries of today and a future of life without disease. Your investment fortifies both pillars, ensuring the bridge to better health stands strong for all.
The Bridge Initiative offers donors an opportunity to lead with vision and impact—meeting this critical moment and helping LJI secure a future where scientific progress can continue without delay when there are shifting federal funding priorities.
At this moment, every gift to the endowed Beacon Fund carries twice the impact .
A LJI Board Director and their family have pledged to match every gift to the endowed Beacon Fund, dollar-for-dollar, until the remaining $700,000 in matching funds are exhausted.
Investing in Life Without Disease
through the Bridge Initiative
There are multiple pathways to make an impact at LJI, each adaptable to the level and timeline that best matches your priorities and comfort level. Examples of opportunities at a range of investment levels are provided below:
$5,000 • President’s Priority Fund
$25,000 • Beacon Fund
When combined with the limited-time endowment match, this underwrites microscopy, mass spectrometry, and histology analyses needed—advancing research for treatments capable of slowing cancers and other devastating diseases, in perpetuity.
$12,000 • President’s Priority Fund
$50,000 • Beacon Fund
Paired with the limited-time endowment match, your investment generates annual returns that help bridge a talented postdoctoral fellow between grants–ensuring that brilliance at the bench is sustained.
If you’d prefer to give via check, your Donor Advised Fund, or explore other ways of giving such as gifts of stocks or making a Qualified Charitable Deduction from your IRA, please contact:
Kelsey Dale, CFRE, CSPG, Vice President of Advancement at kdale@lji.org or 858-752-6542.