Background
The EERI Endowment Fund was established in 1994 to improve the science and practice of earthquake engineering and related disciplines in order to reduce the impacts of earthquakes, by supporting small, creative and innovative projects.
The Special Projects and Initiatives Committee solicits proposals, then selects and manages projects that recognize the multidisciplinary challenge of earthquake risk reduction and the broad geographic and professional composition of EERI’s membership. Funding is used to stimulate new or unique ventures. It is the hope that Endowment projects will be seed projects that will grow into larger ventures, supported in part by EERI’s partner organizations in promoting earthquake risk reduction.
Programs supported by the Fund should identify gaps in research, improve application and practice, and facilitate public policy that leads to effective reduction of earthquake risks. It is intended that the Endowment Fund will stimulate the mobilization of additional intellectual and financial resources to address the following critical issues:
- Stimulate growth of and foster greater interaction between the disciplines within the earthquake community.
- Improve general level of expertise within the earthquake risk reduction community.
- Increase the amount and quality of research contributing to earthquake risk reduction.
- Encourage the transfer of research results and knowledge through improved codes, design standards, and construction practices.
- Heighten priority of earthquake risk reduction among policy makers, building owners, technical community and general public.
- Develop cooperative relationships with public and private funding sources for joint support of grant activities.
Click Here for a list of special projects and initiatives
The Importance of the Fund to You
The Endowment allows the Institute to use its intellectual and institutional resources to further its objectives, exercise leadership, and serve you, a member, by:
- Allowing the Institute to enhance earthquake loss reduction activities nationally in ways that can’t, or won’t, be funded by others.
- Providing you, as a member of EERI, an opportunity to channel philanthropic giving to achieve objectives you believe important. You can invest in the activities of your organization.
- Allowing the Institute to develop its capabilities independent of financial sponsors. The Endowment provides the operating capital to create an Institute owned by its members, including you.
- Giving the Institute stature and enabling it to draw attention to important issues. Small sums of money, supplemented with expertise such as yours, support projects that make a difference in earthquake safety and improve the profession.
- Giving you, as a member of EERI, the opportunity to invest intellectual capital. Members are invited to take initiative and contribute proposals for projects.
Annual Reports (PDF)
- 2007 Endowment Projects Annual Report
- 2006 Endowment Projects Annual Report
- 2005 Endowment Projects Annual Report
- 2004 Endowment Projects Annual Report
- 2003 Endowment Projects Annual Report
- 2002 Endowment Projects Annual Report
- 2001 Endowment Projects Annual Report
This table lists the special projects and initiatives that have been supported by the Endowment Fund since its inception in 1995.
| Year | Project | Contributor, Chair or Author | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Electronic Information Management Plan, Paper | Farzad Naeim, author | |
| 1995 | White Paper on Public Policy and Building Safety | Chris Poland, chair | Public Policy and Building Safety |
| 1997 | White Paper and Workshop on Construction Quality and Seismic Education | Cynthia Hoover and Jim Russell, chairs | Construction Quality, Education and Seismic Safety |
| 1997 | White Paper and Workshop: Ethical Dilemmas in Earthquake Risk Reduction | Bret Lizundia, chair | Ethical Issues and Earthquake Risk Reduction |
| 1997 | Strategic Plan to Improve Seismic Training of Trades and Code Enforcers | Cynthia Hoover and Jim Russell, chairs | |
| 1997 | Promoting construction quality in developing countries. Turned into the World Housing Encyclopedia | Chris Arnold and Marjorie Greene, chairs | World Housing Encyclopedia |
| 1998-Present | Visiting Professionals Program turned into the Friedman Family Visiting Professional Program | Chris Arnold, chair | Friedman Family Visiting Professionals Program Reports |
| 2000 | Financial Management of Earthquake Risk | Weimin Dong, chair | Financial Management of Earthquake Risk |
| 2000-Present | Encyclopedia of Housing Construction Types turned into the World Housing Encyclopedia | Svetlana Brzev, chair | World Housing Encyclopedia |
| 2002 | Northern California EERI Chapter: Quake '06 | Quake '06: NC Chapter | |
| 2005 | Scenario for a Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake on the Seattle Fault | Don Ballantyne, chair | Scenario for a Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake on the Seattle Fault |
| 2005-2007 | Small Grants for Developing Countries | Sudhir Jain, chair | 2005 Endowment Fund Annual Report: Small Grants for Developing Countries |
| 2006 | Guidelines for Developing an Earthquake Scenario | Jane Preuss, author | https://www.eeri.org/products-page/endowment-fund-reports/guidelines-for-developing-an-earthquake-scenario-3/ |
| 2006 | Collaborative project between UBC and UNAM on Confined Masonry: | Ken Elwood, chair | Evaluation of Confined Masonry Guidelines for Earthquake-Resistant Housing |
| 2007 | Support for Earthquake Engineering Practice, journal available outside of US/Canada/New Zealand | Sudhir Jain, chair | National Information Centre of Earthquake Engineering |
| 2007 | New Madrid Earthquake Scenarios | Greg Hempen, chair | New Madrd Earthquake Scenarios |
| 2008 | International Strategy Workshop on Promotion of Confined Masonry Network | Craig Comartin and Sudhir Jain, chairs | Confined Masonry Network |
| 2008 | Identification of Methods to Achieve Successful Implementation of Nonstructural and Equipment Seismic Restraints | John Masek, author | Identification of Methods to Achieve Successful Implementation of Nonstructural and Equipment Seismic Restraints |
| 2008 | Contributions of Earthquake Engineering to Protect Communities and Critical Infrastructure from Multihazards | Thomas O'Rourke, chair | Contributions of EQ Engineering to Protecting Communities and Critical Infrastructure from Multihazards |
| 2009 | Straw Bale Construction: A Solution for Seismic Resistant Housing in Developing Countries | Darcey Donovan, consultant | Seismic Performance of Innovative Straw Bale Wall Systems |
| 2009 | Adobe with Geomesh Reinforcement | Marcial Blondet, author | Adobe with Geomesh Reinforcement |
| 2009-Present | New Tutorials section of World Housing Encyclopedia website | CVR Murty, chair | World Housing Encyclopedia Tutorials |
| 2010 | Tutorial on straw bale construction | Dmitry Ozeryansky and Martin Hammer, authors | To be published Spring 2013. |
| 2010 | City of Berkeley Soft Story Ordinance | David Bonowitz & Sheri Rabinovici, authors | PDF report |
| 2011 | Seismic Upgrade Triggers | Bonowitz, McCormick, Somers, authors | Report Coming Soon |
| 2011 | Framed Infill Network | Geohazards International | Framed Infill Network |
