Promethean Foundation
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The Promethean Foundation is a private organization with a mission to sponsor research in parapsychology and related fields. The institute was founded in 1908 through private donations and is administered by a board of directors. Grants are given by the institute to fund a number of areas of private and public research. The institute also funds a number of scholarships and grant programs for university students who are pursuing studies related to parapsychology.
Research Initiatives
The Foundation sponsors research in consciousness studies, psychology, eastern & western religions, mysticism, metaphysics, occultism, and classical and modern philosophy.
In 1924 the foundation announced the funding of a dream study institute in Los Angeles. The program was designed and supervised by Dr. Jeffrey Parkman, who went on to become Foundation director in 1925 with the death of founder Gerhard Thuringer. The Parkman Institute in Pasadena was created by the Foundation in 1950 to continue Dr. Parkman's research.
The disastrous 1930 Pabodie Expedition to Antarctica was co-sponsored by the Foundation along with Miskatonic University.
In 1965 the Foundation assisted the US government in an investigation of the criminal sale of stolen and forged antiquities. Later that year the Foundation relocated to the newly completed Occidental Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Scientific Research
Foundation director Magdalena Carter announced her retirement in early 1965. For a time the foundation was left without leadership and seemed to flounder. It was later revealed that the foundations and its directors had been assisting the government in a lengthy investigation of the trafficking of stolen antiquities and artifacts. Several arrests were made as a result and some members and associates of the foundation were implicated.
Research Facilities
The Promethean Institute was an interdisciplinary research facility funded by the Foundation. The campus was located across the street from Alden House and featured housing facilities for visiting scholars. The institute library held some of the rarest collections in consciousness studies, psychology, eastern & western religions, mysticism, metaphysics, occultism, classical and modern philosophy.
Citing funding issues, the research institute was closed in 1965. Its extensive library and art collections were purchased by private collectors.
History
See Promethean Foundation History.
The foundation was begun in 1909 by Gerhard Thuringer, who decided to dispense a large personal inheritance by donating it to various academic associates to advance their research. At the urging of his colleague Ted Webster, Thuringer also began funding what was termed "practical magical research." Webster began traveling to various locations researching the presence of practical magic. Webster's goal was to develop a general practical theory of magic, goal which he failed to reach before his tragic and untimely death in 1926. It was after this event that Thuringer decided to formally organize the foundation. When Thuringer asked his friend Calvin Alden to help raise funds for the cause, Alden agreed to finance the organization himself. Alden recruited pioneering psychiatrist Jeffrey Parkman to direct the foundation.
Foundation Directors
| Gerhard Thuringer | (1908-1925) |
| Jeffrey Parkman | (1925-1950) |
| Quentin Devereux | (1950-1953) |
| Magdalena Carter | (1953-1965) |
The Foundation as Patron
Point Cost: 20 points
Power: A fairly powerful organization (10 points)
Frequency of Appearance: Fairly often (roll of 9 or less) (x1)
Special Enhancements: Supplies useful equipment in excess of starting wealth (+100%)