Paige and Jeff Prozan support HudsonAlpha’s ground-breaking new Innovation Fund with a $50,000 matching gift

Supporting the Huntsville community and working to ensure its bright future is more than just a passion for Paige and Jeff Prozan. It is a commitment the couple is deeply devoted to. They are active volunteers and generous sustainers of many of Huntsville’s nonprofits, from arts organizations to HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. 

When Paige and Jeff learned about the Institute’s newest fund, the Innovation Fund, they knew it would fuel scientific discoveries in human health and sustainable agriculture that could lead to a better world for us all. Inspired by this vision of the future, the couple recently made a landmark decision to donate $50,000 to the Innovation Fund as a matching gift.

Jeff’s aunt, Virginia Wellman (Ginnie), believed that gifts should empower people and organizations. Jeff and Paige worked with Ginnie to establish a charitable fund that would be directed toward furthering that vision. Paige has been involved with HudsonAlpha as a volunteer for several years and one of her first interests was around Alzheimer’s research since Jeff’s paternal grandmother (Ginnie’s mother) suffered from dementia.

“Philanthropy was a priority for Ginnie, and it is very close to our hearts as well. We are proud to share that perspective with her,” said Jeff. “It means a lot to be able to support HudsonAlpha’s Innovation Fund through these gifts. We hope that through this donation, the Institute will be able to continue supporting discoveries that will make a difference.”

The Innovation Fund was designed to drive the Institute’s most transformative programs, impactful breakthroughs, and pivotal opportunities by providing strategic access to unrestricted funds. Resources given to the Innovation Fund are put to immediate use to support HudsonAlpha’s talent, improve and advance technology, seed promising new ideas, scale groundbreaking programs, and train the next generation of STEM leaders.

The Prozans’ gift offers an opportunity for others who are interested in donating to the Innovation Fund to double their impact. The couple designed the gift as a match for gifts of any size made to the Innovation Fund, up to $50,000 for a total of $100,000. 

This type of support has already made it possible for HudsonAlpha to purchase a new PacBio Revio DNA sequencer through the Innovation Fund. Much of the Institute’s discoveries are based upon HudsonAlpha scientists’ expert knowledge of DNA and their ability to sequence and analyze DNA. With the Revio, HudsonAlpha’s sequencing capabilities are fifteen times greater, meaning that discoveries such as understanding childhood genetic disorders and making plants more resistant to drought and disease, can be made even faster than before, and at a lower cost.

“Because HudsonAlpha is a non-profit organization, philanthropy plays a vital role in making scientific discoveries possible,” said Elizabeth Herrin, Senior Director of Advancement. “Genetic and genomic research is expensive, so gifts to the Innovation Fund are critical for our scientists to keep making life-changing breakthroughs. Paige and Jeff’s support ensures that we can continue to make those important discoveries.”

Learn more about the Innovation Fund, and consider making a gift today to help fuel life-changing research.