UMRA’s Professional Development Grants for Retirees (PDGR) program is an annual competition with applications accepted October 1 to December 31. It provides financial support for University retirees to continue scholarship or pursue new projects. Retirees from all five campuses within the U of M System are eligible whether or not they are members of UMRA. Funding of up to $5,000 per grant is available. 

Since 2009, PDGR grants have been awarded to more than 110 retirees. Recent award recipients have focused on projects as varied as insect biodiversity in Ecuador, Minnesota's human rights stories, and temper outbursts in psychiatrically referred youth. You can find more information about the program, including the instructions for applying for 2024 funding, at umra.umn.edu > Serving You > Grants for Retirees. Please consider making an application.

If you have previously contributed to the PDGR program, thank you for your support. If you have not yet contributed or, if you would like to make another tax-deductible contribution, you can do so online at z.umn.edu/PDGR. 

You can also make a tax-efficient gift from an IRA if you are age 70½ or older. Contact Lynn Praska, senior planned giving officer, U of M Foundation, at [email protected] or 612-624-4158.

Email John Bantle, MD, PDGR Committee chair, if you have questions or suggestions for the grant program.