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 interesting new projects. Funding of up to $5,000 per grant is available.

All retirees from all five campuses within the U of M System are eligible whether they are members of UMRA or not. Since 2009, PDGR grants have been awarded to more than 100 retirees. You can find more information about the program, including the instructions for applying for 2023 funding, at umra.umn.edu > Serving You > Grants for Retirees.

University funds are important to maintaining our grant program at a base level, but are not sufficient for the program to grow. You can make a tax-deductible contribution via the PDGR crowdfunding web page. Or, for information about making 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.

Anyone with questions or suggestions for the grant program should contact John Bantle, MD, PDGR Committee chair, at [email protected].