Fundraising is under way for a new lecture and panel series set to launch this fall on Hilton Head Island, and organizers also have unveiled a new website, logo and name.

The Hilton Head Island Institute plans the 10-day "Imagination 2013" in October -- precise dates haven't been set yet -- to promote intellectual curiosity with discussions about topics of world and local importance.

The organization, formed last year, seeks to raise enough money to fund the first three years of programs. It has about $125,000 on hand, including a $25,000 accommodation-tax grant from the Town of Hilton Head Island and a grant worth as much as $65,000 from the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry.

The logo release and website launch correspond with a fundraising push for the organization's "Founders Circle" campaign.

"We're asking folks in the region -- on the island and off -- that would be supportive to the concept and have the resources to help us with the funding," executive director Jack Alderman said.

The institute still needs to raise "several hundred thousand" dollars to host the first event, much of which would be paid for by ticket sales, Alderman said. Ticket prices haven't been revealed yet.

In addition to hosting the lecture and panel series, the institute will host academic conferences and a community planning center "dedicated to Charles Fraser's high standards and innovative approach," according to the institute's website.

Related content:

• Organizers: Fall lecture series will bring the worldly and the local to Hilton Head, Jan. 5, 2013
• Island council ignores tax panel's recommendation, funds lecture series, Jan. 3, 2013