UMRA’s Professional Development Grants for Retirees (PDGR) program is an annual competition for grants to support projects related to retirees’ research, instructional history, or new scholarly and creative interests. Funding of up to $5,000 per grant is available. Retirees from all University campuses are eligible to apply. 

If you have previously contributed financially to the PDGR program, thank you for your support. If you have not made a contribution or, if you would like to make another, you can do so via the PDGR crowdfunding page. 

$10,000 challenge grant

Now is an especially good time to contribute because, until the end of 2024, we have a $10,000 challenge grant and all contributions will be doubled. Contributions are tax-deductible. 

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

Previous awards have covered a diverse set of topics including immigration, U.S. election systems, Native American art, childhood tantrums, statistics, social equity, science, and medicine. See previous PDGR Awards for information about past projects.

Anyone with questions or suggestions for the grant program should email John Bantle, UMRA member and PDGR Committee chair.