The University of Michigan has announced a $5 million matching gift from Waltraud "Wally" Prechter in support of a bipolar disorder research program at its Depression Center.

Awarded through the World Heritage Foundation-Prechter Family Fund, the gift will match individual contributions to the program dollar-for-dollar up to $5 million, doubling the value of every donation. The funds raised by the challenge will be used to bolster an endowment supporting the Prechter Longitudinal Study of Bipolar Disorder, which was launched eleven years ago and enables researchers to track symptoms of, responses to treatment, and the overall health of bipolar individuals over time. With her latest gift, Prechter has contributed more than $10 million in support of the center. In recognition of that support, the university will rename its bipolar research program for Prechter's late husband, the automotive entrepreneur Heinz Prechter, who struggled to keep his bipolar disorder hidden until his suicide in July 2001.

A German-born automotive parts entrepreneur, Prechter founded the American Sunroof Company in 1963. Upon her husband's death, Wally Prechter resolved to fight the stigma that led her husband to hide his illness and to address the lack of scientific understanding about the condition and investigate how best to treat it.

"I deeply appreciate Wally Prechter's commitment to advancing bipolar disease research that will give hope to millions of people around the world," said U-M president Mark Schlissel. "The Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program will enhance the University of Michigan's longstanding research initiatives and drive new medical discoveries to combat this devastating disorder."