SPIE Endowment Matching Program

Submission timeline

Proposals are due 15 June 2026.

Funding details and requirements

• Endowments must be matched one-to-one (or more substantially) with funding secured by the benefiting institution
• Funds must be managed by the benefiting institution
• Each endowment may be funded up to a maximum of $500,000 from SPIE funds. A benefiting institution may submit proposals for future funding cycles but may not exceed the cumulative $500,000 funding maximum per institution.
• The preference is for endowments in perpetuity unless sovereign laws prohibit this. Benefiting institutions must provide reason for an exception.
• SPIE obtains naming rights for the endowed activity
• The announced criteria should include “demonstratable capability to manage endowments”

Proposal guidelines

Written proposals should be at least 5 and no more than 10 pages in length, with a font of 11-12 points, and standard margins.

Proposals must contain:

• Contact information
• CV of principal proposer
• Description of endowed activity
• Proposed name
• Financial request
• Fund management

Detailed proposal guidelines are below.

Submit proposals via email to outreach@spie.org.

Assessment criteria

• The benefiting institution must have a recognized optics/photonics degree-granting program, or the equivalent for other disciplines aligned to the SPIE educational mission (including optics/photonics options)
• Funds will be managed by the benefiting institution to preserve the principal of the donation in perpetuity or for a negotiated long-term timeframe. The benefiting institution must have an appropriate administrative structure to manage endowments.
• Proposals must increase institutional capacity (stability of program, size and scope increase, benefits to institution), advance knowledge and understanding of optics and photonics, increase synergies with other evolving markets and technical fields, and/or enable SPIE to have greater impact on society

Download full proposal guidelines and assessment criteria

Questions 

Please contact outreach@spie.org with any questions.