ASRM Launches “Fighting for Our Future” Campaign to Rescue Reproductive Research
New initiative seeks to protect critical fertility science as federal funding cuts threaten innovation and progress
June 23, 2025
For immediate release
“U.S. funding cuts have destabilized the work of brilliant investigators and the momentum of transformative research,” said ASRM President Elizabeth Ginsburg, M.D. “The impact goes far beyond the lab. If this research stops now, we will feel its absence in reproductive medical care for generations. There will be disruption to the pipeline of new scientists, stalled innovation, and, of course, a lack of solutions for patients on their fertility journeys. This fundraising campaign is about rescuing the research ecosystem that drives discoveries, supports patients, and trains the next generation of scientists. I’m proud to share that 100% of ASRM’s Board of Directors have already made personal financial commitments, setting the tone for leadership to protect talent, progress and vital innovation.”
The Fighting for Our Future: Rescuing Research Campaign is designed to:
- Preserve Critical Research: Keep transformative reproductive health projects alive despite federal defunding.
- Retain Scientific Talent: Prevent early- and mid-career investigators from leaving the field due to loss of funding.
- Continue Innovation: Sustain the research ecosystem needed for future breakthroughs in fertility, embryology, and women’s health.
- Protect the Training Pipeline: Ensure postdocs and trainees continue receiving mentorship, safeguarding the next generation of scientists.
- Stabilize Research Institutions: Maintain the stability of research centers, allowing them to withstand political and funding volatility.
Donor support at all levels will have a direct and measurable impact, such as:
- $25,000: Provides lab supplies for one early-career investigator for a year.
- $60,000: Fully funds a postdoctoral researcher.
- $100,000: Keeps a promising project going after federal defunding.
- $250,000: Supports a mid-career principal investigator and their team.
- $500,000: Preserves a key institutional program.
- $1,000,000+: Enables strategic investments in research, advocacy, and resilience across the field.
The consequences of federal funding cuts are being felt today. One ASRM member shared: “I’m an early-career physician-researcher, focusing on reproductive health. Both my clinical and research work are now under serious threat, and I anticipate I will lose my funding any day. I was planning to submit my first NIH independent grant this last spring; I now must pivot, either to abandon my work or to find other sources of funding.”
The first $1 million to the fund will be matched by ASRM, doubling the impact that donors can make for reproductive medical research.
For more information about supporting the Rescuing Research campaign, contact ASRM Director of Charitable Giving, Holly Jaap Hilton, at hhilton@asrm.org or (205) 978-7702.
For almost a century, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has been the global leader in multidisciplinary reproductive medicine research, ethical practice, and education. ASRM impacts reproductive care and science worldwide by creating funding opportunities for advancing reproduction research and discovery, by providing evidence-based education and public health information, and by advocating for reproductive health care professionals and the patients they serve. With members in more than 100 countries, the Society is headquartered in Washington, DC, with additional operations in Birmingham, AL. www.asrm.org
For media inquiries regarding this press release contact:
Sean Tipton
ASRM Chief Advocacy and Policy Officer
E: stipton@asrm.org
Anna Hovey
Advocacy Engagement Specialist
E: ahovey@asrm.org
J. Benjamin Younger Office of Public Affairs
726 7th St. SE
Washington, DC 20003
Tel: (202) 863-2494
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