Ensuring Their Future: SYCR Endowment Campaign

Now Dr. Speede and our team are entering a critical phase in the future of SYCR. As Dr. Speede prepares to step back from being the sanctuary’s full-time director, we are committed to ensuring that her legacy – and the well-being of every chimpanzee – endures for decades to come. Chimpanzees can live to be at least 60 years old, meaning many of our current residents will depend on us until 2075 and beyond. And despite our relentless efforts to protect chimps living in the wild, SYCR must continue to provide rescue, medical care, and lifelong sanctuary for victims of poachers, dealers, and traffickers. We need to secure a stable and sustainable future that will last in perpetuity.

Why is an Endowment Crucial

A substantial endowment for SYCR would ensure financial security for our lifesaving work beyond Dr. Speede’s leadership. Our endowment campaign is not meant to provide for current ongoing operations or to be utilized as a reserve, but to fund the future of SYCR. Once fully funded, disbursements of the interest earned will provide the income needed to cover necessary operating expenses, even in uncertain times. And in doing so, honor Dr. Speede’s vision and expand our impact across wildlife protection, conservation, education, and community development in Africa.

By partnering with the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF), one of the most trusted philanthropic institutions in the U.S., we have secured expertise in the investment of endowed assets and in the administrative and fiduciary governance of an endowment.

Your gift helps ensure:

• Rescue, medical care and lifetime guardianship for chimpanzees living in our sanctuary
• Advocacy and protection for chimpanzees, gorillas, and other endangered wildlife living in the forest
• Habitat conservation to safeguard the ecologically diverse environment surrounding SYCR
• Education initiatives for all ages, locally and globally, designed to raise awareness for the plight of chimpanzees and provide concrete actions to support wildlife and forest protection
• Agroforestry and livelihood programs for local Cameroonian communities

Please consider making a donation to our Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Endowment Campaign. Your contribution today will secure lifelong care for our beloved residents, rescue and sanctuary for those who will need us in the future, and increased protection for chimpanzees and other endangered wildlife living in the forest – safeguarding an assured future for them all! Our goal is ultimately $10,000,000 and we need your help to get there. From Dr. Speede and our team on the ground, we are forever grateful!