WHY GIVE
Protect & Advance Horticulture
Every day, the horticultural industry faces increased pressures from competition, pests and diseases, and labor and water shortages. To combat these issues, industry professionals banded together to take their fate into their own hands. By directly guiding and advocating for research, the industry is able to fund the most relevant research as identified by the industry itself.
And by pooling our collective financial resources, our money goes further, gets to work faster, and works harder for us. It’s an investment in our own business future.
HRI funds horticultural research that meets industry-approved standards for value, impact, and accountability. From the moment an investment is made by a donor, HRI handles the entire competitive grants process.
- Industry leaders evaluate the significance and economic usefulness of projects.
- HRI’s scientist review panels assess feasibility and methodology.
- HRI’s leadership, financial advisors and investment committee manage the fiduciary responsibilities of the endowment.
Why Give? We'll let them tell you:
Growing Strong
Since 2014, industry funds have provided more than $1,000,000 in funding directly to researchers who are discovering
- Industry marketing answers
- Pest and disease solutions
- Time and resource saving technology
- Mechanization advances
Ways To Give
Invest in Horticulture's Future
Every donor investment impacts HRI’s ability to support the horticultural industry’s advances in technology, best practices, and innovation. Donations are essential to ensure that funding for industry research and industry students continues into the future.
HRI provides donors with three distinct ways to support our work.
WE INVITE YOU TO CONSIDER GIFTS IN EACH OF THESE THREE AREAS.
Annual Giving
Annual contributions offer industry professionals, businesses, and organizations the opportunity to immediately put resources to work through Horticultural Research Institute. We are grateful for the support of our annual donors.
Endowment Giving
Endowed gifts are an investment in the industry’s future success. Your gift to the endowment establishes an enduring legacy that will benefit the industry in perpetuity. The principal of your donation is invested and the earnings are used to fund research or scholarship.
Planned Giving
Planned gifts made through trusts, bequests, charitable gift annuities, and other long-term arrangements enable individuals of all means to create a permanent legacy through the eventual establishment of endowed scholarships and programs.
The Horticultural Research Institute Endowment Fund is a 501c(3) non-profit organization and is the vehicle through which individuals, businesses, associations, and foundations may make important tax-deductible contributions for the support of educational and scientific research. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
ANNUAL DONATIONS
Make an Immediate Impact
Annual contributions offer industry professionals, businesses, and organizations the opportunity to immediately put resources to work through Horticultural Research Institute. We are grateful for the support of our annual donors.
Your annual gift to our General Fund ensures continued research success and provides funds to use where the need is greatest: special programs, research in all areas, or administrative needs.
Your annual gift to a Named Fund likewise ensures continued success in facilitating research endeavors as well as communicating those research results to you. There are more than 170 named funds which offer diversity of choice for donors.
Interested in recognizing or memorializing a special person? HRI has several funds for that purpose:
- Memorial Fund: donations of any amount in remembrance of a colleague, family member, or friend
- Very Important Partners (VIP) Fund: contributions of $1000 or more to honor a business partner, influencers in your life, spouse, etc.
- The Legacy Club Fund:
contributions of $1000 or more to honor a child, grandchild, special person, etc.
We are pleased to recognize donors in the following levels:
- Visionary, $100,000 - $249,999
- Honored Innovator, $50,000 - $99,999
- Innovator’s Circle, $10,000 - $49,000
- Partner In Progress, $5,000 - $9,999
- Founders’ Club, $3,500 - $4,999
- Stewards’ Club, $2,000 - $3,499
- Stewards’ Club, $2,000 - $3,499
- President’s Club, $1,000 - $1,999
- Platinum Medalist, $500 - $999
- Gold Medalist, $251 - $499
- Member Level, $200 - $250
- Supporter, $1 - $
ESTABLISH A LEGACY
- Emerald Circle - $500,000 and above
- Diamond Circle - $250,000 to $499,999
- Founder's Circle - $100,000 to $249,999
- Platinum Circle - $100,000 to $249,999
- Gold Circle - $50,000 to $99,999
- Silver Circle - $25,000 to $49,000
- Bronze Cirle - $20,000 to $24,999
- Heritage Circle - Individual Bequests
Endowed gifts are an investment in the industry’s future success. Your gift to the endowment establishes an enduring legacy that will benefit the industry in perpetuity. The principal of your donation is invested and the earnings are used to fund research or scholarship.
Thanks to generous philanthropy and strategic investments, HRI’s endowment now totals more than $11 million and boasts over 180 named funds from individuals, businesses, and organizations.
- The minimum amount to establish an endowment is $20,000, which can be paid over a period of five years. Donors may choose whether the fund benefits research or scholarship.
- Endowments can be named in honor of the donor, their business or organization, or another individual.
- Funds may be created for scholarships or research.
- Funds begun at more than $100,000 afford donors the opportunity to provide guidance about the research that will be funded from their named fund.
Contact Jennifer Gray to learn more about establishing a Named Endowment Fund, or download this form.
PLANNED GIVING
Make an Enduring Difference
There are a variety of ways to make a charitable gift to Horticultural Research Institute. While cash gifts are the most popular, there are other strategies that address your interest in supporting HRI, but also provide you with income and tax benefits.
HRI welcomes the opportunity to work with you to remember the industry in your future plans. A planned gift is one you arrange during your lifetime with the benefit to HRI deferred. Planned gifts create a permanent legacy through the eventual establishment of endowed research and scholarship funds.
Planned gifts made through trusts, bequests, charitable gift annuities, and other long-term arrangements enable individuals of all means to create a permanent legacy through the eventual establishment of endowed scholarships and programs.
Donors who provide support for HRI in their Will are recognized as HRI Heritage Club members [link to named fund page, anchor to heritage club list]. Other options include creating a trust or charitable gift annuity, naming HRI as the beneficiary of a retirement or life insurance plan, and donating tangible personal property.
Heritage Circle members
- Gary E. Briggs
- Raymond and Elizabeth Brush
- John H. den Boer
- Robert Eastman
- Dwight Hughes
- Joanne Kostecky
- Gary Mangum
- Muriel Orans
- Peter Orum
- Ashby Pamplin
- Myra K. and Thomas S. Pinney, Jr.
- Ernie Tosovsky
Making a bequest to the Horticultural Research Institute is easy. All it takes is a simple inclusion of the Horticultural Research Institute in a will or family trust. Your personal financial benefits of planned gifts to the Horticultural Research Institute will depend on your individual situation, but the opportunity to make a difference is always great.
Contact Jennifer Gray to learn more about Planned Giving opportunities.
