AIER’s facilities are fundamental to the Institute’s identity and mission.  Cotswold, the stone house that appears on our book covers, has been AIER’s home since the end of World War II. The spacious grounds surrounding it have allowed the Institute to evolve and expand over the years. Today on our campus we host students and scholars for the Summer Fellowship Program, hold conferences, house our library collection, provide transitional residences for visiting researchers, and support the ongoing day-to-day business of the Institute.

The cost to operate and maintain these facilities is significant even in an average year, and 2008 is shaping up to be an especially expensive one. After staggering heating oil prices set us back in the winter months, our main septic system’s leach field failed just weeks before the Summer Fellowship Program started and had to be replaced at a total cost of over $100,000.

While the leach field expenses were not directly incurred in pursuit of scientific economic research, AIER would have been forced to cancel the Summer Fellowship Program had we been unable to get the septic system restored to code before our students, research scholars and faculty arrived. It certainly was not a glamorous job to complete, but it was every bit as mission-critical as any other work here this year.

Because of AIER’s fundamental commitment to financial independence, the Institute cannot recoup unexpected capital costs like these from private foundations, commercial interests or the government. This is why support from individual donors like you, who understand the importance of the independent economic perspective we offer, is so crucial to our ongoing success.

Make a facilities donation