Ian G. Barbour Chair Campaign Matching Grant

Barbour Chair Information | Support the Chair | Matching Grant | Printable Donation Form

Thanks to many generous supporters, we have hit the $2 million mark in the Campaign for the Ian G. Barbour Chair in Theology and Science -- and to help us go all the way to our goal of $2.5 million, CTNS has just received a major Matching Grant from the John Templeton Foundation (JTF).

Now, for every dollar you contribute to the Barbour Chair Fund,
JTF will give CTNS a dollar!

CTNS had the initial goal of raising the last $500,000 of the Chair Fund in pledges and gifts by the end of 2009. Now, with this new Matching Grant, this timetable is extended: you can help us complete the Chair Fund and in the process double the impact of your gift by pledging to the Barbour Chair and using the next three years to fulfill your pledge.

The Ian G. Barbour Chair is the cornerstone of the CTNS Mission at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), ensuring its central educational program for the future. Each holder of the Chair will be a member of the GTU Core Doctoral Faculty, as is the current holder of the Chair, scientist and theologian, Dr. Robert Russell. In a time when science is often seen to conflict with religion, the Chair will ensure that future generations of faculty and students continue to enter into the constructive dialogue between faith and science and be empowered for research, teaching and ministry in an increasingly complex scientific age.

We are grateful for the past gifts and now invite you to participate in this opportunity to help complete the final 20% of the Chair Campaign and make this dream a reality. Visit the CTNS Chair donation page today <www.ctns.org/chair/>.

P.S. If you, your partner or a family member’s employer has an Employee Matching Giving program, your gift will potentially be quadrupled!

1) Q. How does the new Matching Grant affect the original goal to fund the Barbour Chair by the end of 2009?
A. With this Matching Grant, the original time-table is extended. All gifts to the Barbour Chair received from January 2009 through July 2012 will be matched dollar-to-dollar by the Matching Grant to CTNS, up to a total of $400,000. This means that your pledge may be spread out beginning now through July 30, 2012.

2) Q. When do I need to complete my pledge?
A. In order for your pledge to be matched by the grant, we need to have received your payment in full prior to
July 31, 2012.

3) Q. How much of my donation actually goes to the Chair Fund?
A. 100% of your donation will go directly into the Ian G. Barbour Chair Fund.

4) Q. How will the matching funds be used?
A. According to the terms of the Matching Grant, the matching funds will help support CTNS’s infrastructure costs. These include:

Teaching and research in theology and science at the GTU
Production of the quarterly journal, Theology and Science (which is linked to the CTNS membership program)
The J. K. Russell Annual Fellowship in Religion and Science
The annual Charles H. Townes Graduate Student Fellowship
The Public Forums, Website updates, public communications resources for research and teaching in science and religion
Collaborative research project/volumes with the Vatican Observatory

5) Q. How are the funds for the Chair Campaign invested and managed?
A. The funds are invested with TIAA-CREF Institutional Funds. The asset allocation is adjusted on a quarterly basis. Monthly performance reports are provided to CTNS’s treasurer and CEO. The asset allocation chosen on January 1, 2008 was to put 33% of the funds in a Money Market Fund, only 15% in a Large Cap Equity Fund, 30% in investment grade Fixed Income Funds, and 17% in short term bond funds. Smaller amounts are in International Equities and Real Estate Funds. Because of the small exposure to Equities, we are happy to say that our losses in the turbulent market conditions of the past year have been much smaller than they could have been given the market. All new donations to the Barbour Chair Fund are placed in the Money Market Fund until prudent recommendations are made by the investment manager.

6) Q. How is the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS) classified with the IRS?
A. The Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences is exempt from Federal income tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and classified as a public charity under section 509(a)(1) of the Code.

7) Q. Are Corporate Employee Matched Giving Programs allowed?
A. Yes! Most companies with an Employee Matched Gift Program would qualify, as CTNS is classified as a non-profit educational institution. In fact, when a donation by you, your partner or a family member is matched by the employer and both of those gifts matched by this new Grant, your gift has the potential to be quadrupled!
Be sure to check with your employer on its matching gift program.

This Matching Grant is made possible by the John Templeton Foundation.

For more information or to help support this Campaign using your Visa or MasterCard, visit www.ctns.org/chair/,
email: campaign@ctns.org, call 510-848-8152 or write to
CTNS Chair Campaign, 2400 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709-1212 USA.

For gifts of support via postal mail, you may print and use the form linked here. Please make your check payable to CTNS, marked "Chair Campaign".