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"Ayant toujours eu l'ardent désir de favoriser les découvertes scientifiques qui peuvent contribuer au soulagement de l'humanité, j'institue pour mon légataire universel l'Institut Pasteur…sous l'invocation de la mémoire du Grand Pasteur, une des gloires les plus pures de mon pays." - Daniel Iffla-Osiris |
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"Having always had the ardent desire to advance scientific discoveries that can lead to the soothing of humanity's suffering, I name the Insttut Pasteur as the sole beneficiary of my estate...evoking the memory of the Great Pasteur, one of my country's purest glories." - Daniel Iffla-Osiris |
Born in 1824 to an old family from the Bordeaux region of France, Daniel Iffla-Osiris moved to Paris as a young man and began a remarkable career in banking. Having amassed enormous wealth while financing the affairs of the Second Empire, he became a philanthropist who underwrote the construction of hospital pavilions, municipal daycare facilities, and statues honoring Jeanne d'Arc and Alfred de Musset. Perhaps his greatest cultural contribution was the purchase and restoration of Malmaison, Napoleon's chateau outside of Paris, which he gave to the State in 1904.
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Without question, his foremost humanitarian act, referred to in the quote above from his last will and testament, was the appointment of the Institut Pasteur as his universal legatee. The Osiris bequest, which amounted to 36 million gold francs (today's equivalent of 500 million French francs or about $71 million), is the largest ever received by the Institut Pasteur, enabling it to create an endowment, to acquire new grounds in the 15th arrondissement of Paris and to establish a laboratory for Marie Curie at the Institut Pasteur after her husband Pierre's death in 1908. The Pasteur Foundation has established the Osiris Society to recognize those generous individuals living in the United States who, in a spirit similar to that of Daniel Iffla-Osiris, have made estate plans to benefit the Pasteur Foundation and further the work of the institution founded by Louis Pasteur, one of France's "purest glories." Louis Pasteur undertook a decisive battle for the progress of humanity. This battle is not over; it will continue as long as new diseases appear. More than ever, scientific research remains an urgent priority. For well over a century, bequests have been the philanthropic backbone of the Institut Pasteur. Such support has literally changed the face of the campus, enabling the institute to acquire land, to build state-of-the-art facilities, to finance fellowships, to purchase equipment and, finally, to advance our understanding of infectious diseases. This type of support is a commitment to the future improvement of international public health. |
Daniel IFFLA-OSIRIS in 1908 |
To become a member of the Osiris
Society, please inform the director of development that you have named
the Pasteur Foundation as a beneficiary of your estate or trust or of
a life insurance policy or a retirement plan. To determine what type of
estate plans are best for you, please consult your attorney or tax advisor.
For additional information, please contact Caitlin
Hawke at 212.599.2050 or email: PasteurUS@aol.com.
Membership Benefits
Members of the Osiris Society are entitled to a private VIP tour of the
Pasteur Museum on the Paris campus of the Institut Pasteur. In addition,
Osiris members will receive invitations to occasional lectures in New
York given by Pasteur scientists. Unless they wish to remain anonymous,
donors in this society will be acknowledged in the Pasteur Foundation's
newsletter Pasteur Perspectives.
Finally, Osiris members will have the satisfaction of knowing they have
helped to advance biomedical research through their bequest or planned
gift to the Pasteur Foundation.
While there are no dues for membership in the Osiris Society, there is
an enrollment procedure. Why not take the first step by contacting the
Pasteur Foundation ?
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Because the Pasteur Foundation is a 501(c)(3) corporation in New York, naming it in your will can provide significant tax benefits for your estate and heirs. By notifying the foundation of your intentions, you will enable it to plan for the future and to provide for the next generation of research. |
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