Philanthropy

Marjorie Fink: The Future of Scripps

Marjorie Fink looks forward, not back.

A Palm Beach resident with an English degree from the University of Wisconsin and a merchandising background from New York, she has a restless energy, coupled with relentless curiosity, that attracted her to The Scripps Research Institute when plans were announced to build the Scripps Research campus in Florida.

"My husband, Rod, died of non-smoker’s lung cancer. The experience of that devastating disease, added to my general interest in science, prepared me to ask questions and understand the answers I received when I began to look into Scripps Research," says Marjorie. "What I heard when I met the scientists in Florida, and what I saw when I toured the labs in California, convinced me to make a commitment to Scripps Research sooner rather than later."

The result of Marjorie’s rapid immersion in Scripps Research was a gift by bequest, created quietly with her attorneys even before Scripps Florida opened its first lab, followed a few months later by a $1 million cash gift – one of four $1 million contributions made to Scripps Florida in its first year.

Adds Marjorie, "After seeing evidence of so much work in so many areas of science being started in Florida – and already underway in California – I decided not to restrict my gift to any particular area of science, but to make an investment in the future by allowing Scripps Research to put the money for research where it is most needed."

But Marjorie hasn’t rested. Since writing her bequest and making her cash gift, she became an active charter member of The Scripps Council of 100, the group of philanthropists who contribute $100,000 or more a year to Scripps Research, attend semi-annual meetings with Scripps Research scientists and trustees, and serve as ambassadors, representing Scripps Research to donors and decision-makers nationwide.

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