CONTACT: Stephanie Judson, South Dakota Community Foundation president, 605.222.3111 or stephj16@sdcommunityfoundation.org; Mike Headley, South Dakota Science and Technology Authority executive director, 605.209.1945 or mheadley@sanfordlab.org
PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Community Foundation (SDCF) will make a $2 million program-related investment in an upcoming experiment at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, at the request of the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority (SDSTA).
“This is a unique alliance between the South Dakota Community Foundation and Sanford Lab,” says Casey Peterson, chair of the SDSTA board of directors. “The SDCF’s investment in a future experiment will benefit the Lab and the state of South Dakota for years to come, both economically and educationally.”
The program-related investment will work differently than the grants the SDCF typically distributes to nonprofits, because the original investment will be repaid at the end of 11 years. The $2 million program-related investment will also be the largest one-time funding outflow for a single project in the SDCF’s 28-year history. The leadership of the SDCF saw this opportunity as a way to leverage the foundation’s grant resources to support significant economic development in the state.
“The program-related investment is a new way to carry out the original mission set in 1987 by the late Governor Mickelson, myself and fellow members of the first South Dakota Community Foundation board of directors,” says Jim Hart, current SDCF board of directors chairman. “The South Dakota Community Foundation has been tasked with investing in programs that benefit the social and economic well-being of the people of South Dakota, and helping to launch the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment at Sanford Lab will do just that.”
As of January 2015, the Sanford Lab has spent more than $148 million in outside money in South Dakota to date, has an annual payroll of $12.4 million and has created 125 full-time jobs in the state. In addition to its economic impact, the Sanford Underground Research Facility is having a positive influence on education in the state. Currently, there are 14 research projects underway in physics, biology, geology and engineering, which involve students and/or faculty from universities across South Dakota. The new experiment will help sustain and expand the economic and educational impact of the Sanford Lab.
“The South Dakota Community Foundation is providing critical funding to the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority to help ensure that the next phase of research, already approved by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, happens here in South Dakota and brings millions of dollars in positive economic impact with it,” says Stephanie Judson, president of the South Dakota Community Foundation.
The SDCF’s program-related investment will support LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ), the successor dark matter experiment to LUX (Large Underground Xenon), which is currently operating on the 4850 Level of the Sanford Lab. LUX, which has 1/3 of a ton of liquid xenon at its core, is the most sensitive dark matter detector in the world today. LZ, the next-generation dark matter detector, will have 10 tons of liquid xenon and will increase the opportunity to discover dark matter by a magnitude of 30.
“We’re honored to be partnering with the South Dakota Community Foundation to advance the development of the LZ experiment at the Sanford Lab,” says Mike Headley, executive director of the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority. “The foundation’s investment in this project will help the U.S. keep a science-leadership role in the global competition to detect dark matter.”
The LZ experiment is estimated to run from 2018 to 2026.
About the SDCF
Since 1987, the South Dakota Community Foundation has helped people reach their philanthropic goals and strengthened communities across the state. The SDCF administers approximately $230 million in total assets for more than 750 funds. By commingling endowed assets, the SDCF gives its partners enhanced investment opportunities that provide long-term support to charitable causes. For more information about the endowed funds and community programs offered by the SDCF, visit SDCommunityFoundation.org.
About the SDSTA
Located in Lead, SD, the Sanford Underground Research Facility’s mission is to enable compelling underground research in a safe work environment and to foster transformational science education. Researchers at the Sanford Lab explore some of the most challenging questions facing 21st century physics, such as the origin of matter, the nature of dark matter and the properties of neutrinos. The Sanford Lab is located at the former Homestake Mine. The South Dakota Legislature created the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority to operate the Sanford Lab in 2003. For more information, visit SanfordLab.org.