Areas of Support
KU Life Span Institute

When you support the KU Life Span Institute, you help our efforts to realize a future where everyone across the spectrum of intellectual and physical ability can attain the best quality of life. Your gifts fuel the research, service and outreach that empower marginalized and underserved people to fully engage with society and live self-determined lives. 

Areas of Support
KU Life Span Institute

When you support the KU Life Span Institute, you help our efforts to realize a future where everyone across the spectrum of intellectual and physical ability can attain the best quality of life. Your gifts fuel the research, service and outreach that empower marginalized and underserved people to fully engage with society and live self-determined lives. 

TOWARD A WORLD WHERE EVERYONE THRIVES

Research that matters to all of us

We invite you to join the Life Span Institute’s mission to discover, develop and deliver approaches to improve the health and development of people in Kansas, throughout the region and beyond. We are nearly 500 scientists, staff and graduate students pursuing a vision of society in which everyone is able to participate fully in society and lead self-determined lives, irrespective of intellectual or physical ability.

For 70 years, we have pursued research that matters — to all of us.

John Colombo
Director, Life Span Institute
Professor, Department of Psychology
Ready to give to the Life Span Institute to support these initiatives?
CONTACT:
Michael Arp
Assistant Vice President of Development, KU Endowment
785-832-7410

Research at the KU Life Span Institute began in the 1960s with the goal of better understanding the needs and development of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our focus was on inclusion and equity, which we have carried through seven decades while also evolving and broadening work to include research, service and outreach across the fields of education, behavioral science and neuroscience.

Today, the Life Span Institute’s hundreds of researchers in 14 research centers and programs develop solutions to complex challenges across the human life span. We mentor new scientists who go on to make discoveries, at KU and institutions around the world, that change lives. Our research in the classroom helps schools and teachers build equity and support all students. We develop strategies to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to communicate with their families, pursue education among their peers and realize their aspirations for meaningful work and careers. Our commitment to service in the state of Kansas connects people with resources to foster and maintain their independence at home. 

We invite you to help us build the future on the foundation we established 70 years ago. Join us in creating a place where individuals and families can connect directly with researchers and future scientists, and importantly, with each other.

PARTNERING WITH US

Now is the time to make a transformative gift to the Life Span Institute to address the following priorities:

Building clinical services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities

At the present time, it is difficult for families with children, adolescents, or adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, or IDD, to obtain timely services in Kansas and the surrounding states. Families may endure months of waiting for evaluations and care. We are seeking to establish a clinic that would provide assessment and treatment services for families and advance our ability to translate our research into practice.  Along with offering high-quality and prompt diagnostic and intervention services, establishing an IDD clinic would also support our instructional mission by providing a venue for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees to gain valuable experience with these clinical populations. 

Investing in early career scientists

The Life Span Institute has always been a home to early career scientists, and we have historically been at the forefront of training the next generation of researchers in health and human development. Additional research funding for junior faculty members is essential to support their work and clinical experiences as they embark into their fields. Gifts to support postdoctoral stipends, pilot research, early career travel and conference attendance will accelerate the career course for these new scientists and support their continued work toward solutions for the life span.

ALL AREAS OF SUPPORT

Lied Center
A gift to the Lied Center in support of this initiative will allow the program to expand, eventually reaching all 104 counties in Kansas outside of Lawrence on an annual basis in perpetuity.
Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum
Your contributions help us train and mentor the next generation of biodiversity specialists, including providing essential and ethical fieldwork experiences in Kansas and around the globe.
Libraries
When you support KU Libraries, you support all Jayhawks. Your gift empowers the discoveries made, the stories written, the minds expanded with impacts that shine across the university, the greater community and the world.
Spencer Museum of Art
Your gift supports the Museum’s commitment to keep art at the core of learning, teaching and research at KU and beyond and bolsters its ability to sustain and grow its comprehensive collection.
School of Nursing
With your support, KU’s School of Nursing is ready to meet the challenges ahead.
KU Alumni Association
Your investment attracts new Jayhawks, helps current students succeed academically and find satisfying careers, deepens connections across generations.
School of Medicine
Your support strengthens the oldest medical school in Kansas educating tomorrow’s physicians, biomedical researchers and public health leaders.
School of Pharmacy
Your support of the KU School of Pharmacy will help the school continue to improve the health of Kansans and the world through excellence in all aspects of pharmaceutical care.
School of Engineering
Your support for the KU School of Engineering propels innovation and drives groundbreaking research, empowering students to shape the future of society.
KU Research
KU's core research labs support investigators and industry partners by providing assistance and training on specialized instrumentation, experimental design, and data analysis.
International Affairs
KU International Affairs helps prepare students to be successful in a world that is more connected than ever.
KU Life Span Institute
When you support the KU Life Span Institute, you help our efforts to realize a future where everyone across the spectrum of intellectual and physical ability can attain the best quality of life.
School of Music
Your gift to the School of Music will help students and families discover the wonder of music through our world-class educational programs and hundreds of performances each year.
William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications
In the ever-evolving digital landscape, donating to the KU School of Journalism and Mass Communications gives students real-world experiences so they can thrive in future media professions.
University Honors Program
Your investment in the KU Honors Program will support exceptional students, give our top faculty the inspiration and connection that keep them engaged, and nurture innovation on campus.
Dole Institute of Politics
With your support, the Dole Institute will continue to provide unique experiential learning opportunities for new generations at KU, across Kansas and beyond.
The University of Kansas Cancer Center
Your support brings us closer to realizing the vision of a future beyond cancer, with fewer patients and more survivors.
School of Health Professions
Help position our school to train health professionals, conduct high-impact research and connect with patients and communities.

School of 
Architecture & Design
Your contribution plays a vital role in providing our Architecture & Design students with hands-on experience in the studio, fostering both innovation and imagination.
School of Business
Your gift to the School of Business provides the pathway for students to get an innovative learning experience at one of the nation’s top-ranked programs.
The University of Kansas Health System
By supporting The University of Kansas Health System, you will save and improve lives – now and for generations to come.
School of Law
Donating to the KU School of Law allows students to gain practice-ready skills with firsthand experience, forging future members of the legal profession in 13 different areas of study.
School of Education & Human Sciences
Ranked as a top 10 public education school in the nation, a donation to the School of Education & Human Sciences enables future educators and human science professionals to create a lasting impact on society.
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Your gift can make a transformative difference in the educational foundation for KU students, offering them a broad set of knowledge and skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.