SPIE Endowment Matching Program

Established in 2019 to increase international capacity in the teaching and research of optics and photonics

Sustained support

The SPIE Endowment Matching Program was established in 2019 to increase international capacity in the teaching and research of optics and photonics, and to date has provided nearly $4 million in matching gifts, resulting in more than $10 million in dedicated funds. The SPIE Endowment Matching Program supports optics and photonics education and the future of the industry by contributing a match of up to $500,000 per award to college and university programs with optics and photonics degrees, or with other disciplines allied to the SPIE mission.

An abstract image of a globe, with the words SPIE Endowment Matching Program

Call for proposals

The SPIE Endowment Matching Program application process will open again in 2024.

Funding details and requirements

  • Endowments must be matched one-to-one (or more substantially) with funding secured by the benefitting institution
  • Funds must be managed by the benefitting institution
  • Each endowment may be funded up to a maximum of $500,000, per institution, from SPIE funds
  • SPIE obtains naming rights for the endowed activity
  • A recipient institution may submit proposals for future funding cycles, but may not exceed the cumulative $500,000 funding maximum

Selection criteria

  • Institutions must have a recognized optics/photonics degree-granting program, or the equivalent for other disciplines aligned with the SPIE educational mission
  • The proposing institution must demonstrate the ability and capacity to manage endowments
  • Proposals must increase institutional capacity, advance knowledge and understanding of optics and photonics, and/or increase synergies with other evolving markets and technical fields

Questions and timeline

Please contact outreach@spie.org with any questions. 2023 endowment recipients will be notified in September 2023.

First holder of SPIE Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences at Wyant College of Optics named

Matt Eichenfield, a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), has joined the University of Arizona’s Wyant College of Optical Sciences as the inaugural SPIE Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences. The $2 million endowed position was established with a $500,000 gift from SPIE that was matched by a factor of three with funds donated by Wyant College founding dean James C. Wyant and his family.

Additional SPIE-supported programs


IBM-SPIE HBCU Faculty Accelerator Award in Quantum Optics and Photonics

This $100,000 annual award, presented jointly by the IBM-HBCU Quantum Center and SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, supports and promotes research and education in quantum optics and photonics within IBM-HBCU Quantum Center member institutions.

SPIE-Franz Hillenkamp Postdoctoral Fellowship

This annual award of $75,000 supports interdisciplinary problem-driven research and provides opportunities for translating new technologies into clinical practice for improving human health.