THANKS to a pledge from Robert R. Cook of Los Angeles and the possibility of a matching grant from his employer, Amgen, SOLGA is pleased to announce a fundraising event to benefit the Kenneth W. Payne Prize for students of LGBT issues in anthropology.

Cook has pledged to match any contributions to the prize fund, up to $1,000. This means that every dollar received by AAA Controller, Suzanne Mattingly, by the time of the annual meeting in November will be matched once by Cook and, pending approval, once by Amgen—effectively tripling every dollar contributed, up to a potential matched grand total of $3,000.00!

IN ADDITION, Ralph Bolton and his partner Robert Frost are offering an award to the person (Cook excluded) who donates the most to the Payne Prize fund between now and the time of our annual meeting in Chicago. This person will be granted a two-night stay at their business, The Inn of the Turquoise Bear, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, valued at approximately $400. In addition, Bolton will give any person who donates $100 or more a copy of a biography on gay poet Witter Bynner, who owned the estate until his death in 1968. More information about the famous inn can be found on the web at www.turquoisebear.com.

SOLGA presents the Payne Prize each year to a graduate student in acknowledgement of outstanding work on a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered topic in anthropology. This year, the award will be for $300. Ideally, the prize would be paid from interest earned off the prize fund balance; however, in recent years SOLGA has supported the prize from its general fund, allowing the interest to accumulate. Your contribution will help to make this prize self-sustaining, to the benefit of LGBT graduate students both now and in the future.

The current highest donation will be posted on the SOLGA website in the Prize section, which will be updated biweekly. The winner of the Santa Fe vacation will be announced at the annual business meeting this November.

TO CONTRIBUTE to the fund, please send your check, made out the AAA, to:

Suzanne Mattingly, Controller
American Anthropological Association
2200 Wilson Blvd. Suite 600
Arlington, VA 22201-3357

or see the form on page 8 of the summer issue of the SOLGAN. Donations are tax deductible, less the value of the award received by the winning donor. Multiple donations are cumulative, should you donate some now and some later. Matching funds by employers are welcomed, but in fairness to those without such options only direct contributions will count toward the prize.

PLEASE NOTE: Our appreciation gift of a two-night stay at The Inn of the Turquoise Bear in Santa Fe for the largest donor to our Payne Prize matching challenge campaign is strictly that — a gift! This fundraising activity should not be construed as an "auction" of any kind.

Don’t miss this opportunity to triple your donation to SOLGA’s premier student prize! Please mail your contribution today.