The Bridge Initiative
Two Pillars. One Bridge. Countless Lives Changed.
Medical research 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, 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 close that gap by providing both immediate, flexible resources to keep vital research moving, and the enduring strength of endowment to ensure we can withstand tomorrow’s uncertainties.
Your support becomes the bridge—from today’s urgent needs to tomorrow’s life-saving discoveries.
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.
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 $590,000 in matching funds is fulfilled.
The President’s Priority Fund is the pillar of agility, responding instantly when opportunity knocks or when urgent challenges arise.
Providing flexible, unrestricted dollars to address immediate needs, sustain scientific momentum, and respond swiftly to emerging opportunities or threats. These funds are especially vital in helping scientists bridge gaps in federal or grant funding—ensuring that promising research continues uninterrupted. These funds also allow LJI’s President and CEO to invest in retaining the scientists driving research forward whose positions are at risk due to this uncertain federal funding environment.
The endowed Beacon Fund is the pillar of endurance, keeping our mission steady no matter how the currents shift beneath us.
At a time when the future of scientific funding is increasingly uncertain, endowment funding can serve as a guiding light—a steadfast source of support for LJI’s most urgent and promising research. Like a beacon that stays lit through storms and darkness, an endowed fund offers enduring light and direction for LJI’s mission. Endowments are among the most powerful tools available to research institutions: a permanent source of funding that allows us to plan ahead, move quickly when opportunity arises, and sustain excellence no matter how the funding landscape shifts. This fund will also support the scientists at the heart of our mission, ensuring we can recruit and retain top talent, protect scientific freedom, and empower discovery for generations to come.