Donations

There are a variety of ways that interested individuals can support SSAR’s efforts. Please consider donating to the special projects and restricted funds listed below or giving an unrestricted donation to support the general mission of SSAR. Donation instructions and financial information follow the descriptions of current initiatives.

SSAR Special Projects

Prebaccalaureate scholarships are awarded to students who have not yet reached the college/university level and cover registration costs for the students and their chaperones (if needed) to attend the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists or SSAR conferences.

The Mentorship program pairs students with professional herpetologists or more advanced students to help them navigate and network at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists or SSAR annual meeting. Former participants have enthusiastically shared comments about the benefits of the program.

“Thank you for doing this for us. As an aspiring herpetological researcher, I know my world was significantly expanded by this mentorship program.”

“I think it has been a great effort…to try to pair people with similar interest. That could be one of the keys for the future success of the program.”

“Overall, an amazing experience, the mentorship program only added to the entire thing. I definitely think you should keep this one going!”

SSAR Restricted Funds

The SSAR Restricted Funds support publications, student research grants, and student awards.

• The Contributions Reserve Fund is used to support the publication of books.
• The Bailey Endowment Fund consists of proceeds from the sale of the Bailey library and is used to support book-length publications.
• The Special Publication Reserve Fund supports Contributions in Herpetology publications.
• The Gordon Endowment Fund is used to support book-length publications.
• The Dean Metter Memorial Award is used to fund grants to support field research in herpetology.
• The Student Travel Fund is used to support student travel to the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists or SSAR conferences.
• The Conant Endowment Fund was established with the proceeds from the sale of Roger Conant’s library and is used to support student research grants.
• The Minton Endowment Fund is used to support student travel to meetings.
•  The Seibert Student Research Award Fund provides the monetary awards given to Seibert Award winners.
• The Kennedy Award Fund supports the Kennedy Award for a student paper in the Journal of Herpetology.
• The Liner Fund was established with the proceeds from the sale of Ernie Liner’s estate and will be used to support herpetologists early in their careers.
• The Hutchinson Fund was established from the sale of Vic Hutchinson’s library and will be used to support students.
• The Margarita Metallinou Fund was established in memory of Dr. Margarita Metallinou (more information available here) to support postdoctoral travel to SSAR conferences.

To support the ongoing mission of the SSAR, consider donating directly and securely using PayPal:

You can also support SSAR when making purchases at Amazon.com through the Amazon Smile program (more information available at this link).

Donations to the restricted funds listed above may be made through the Truman Heartland Community Foundation donations page. THCF also provides options for such as annuities (more information available at the THCF Legacy Giving page).

Please note that before you confirm your donation on PayPal, you may add special instructions to direct your gift to one of SSAR’s special funds (described above) or to where we need it most.

If you wish to make a specialized donation (for a specific purpose other than those listed below or as a bequest), then please contact the Treasurer in advance to discuss how your gift can be used. SSAR Financial Reports are available upon request (contact) and our most recent tax document is available here: 2019 Tax Return. Please contact the Treasurer if you have any other questions.

SSAR is a registered 501(c)3 organization and a letter documenting your donation for tax purposes may be requested by adding special instructions to your Paypal donation, contacting us at the link above, or contacting the Treasurer directly.

If you prefer to send a check, please make it out to SSAR, care of the Treasurer, and contact the treasurer for mailing information (treasurer@ssarherps.org).