AOPA Foundation Announces "Giving Back" Grant Recipients

Sept. 18, 2013

          Contact:        Steve Hedges
                                 301-695-2159
                                 [email protected]

AOPA Foundation Announces “Giving Back” Grant Recipients

Frederick, Md. – The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Foundation today announced its inaugural “Giving Back” grant recipients. The “Giving Back” program is designed to recognize good work being done through general aviation by non-profit organizations. The ten recipients will each receive a $10,000 grant.

The AOPA Foundation, which is the charitable arm of AOPA, is committed to supporting the freedom to fly and to building a legacy for the future of general aviation.

The 10 grant recipients were chosen from more than 80 applicants and cover a variety of aviation organizations that rely on general aviation to provide services.

The 10 grantees are:

• Air Care Alliance, Lindrith, NM
• Challenge Air for Kids & Friends, Inc., Dallas, TX
• Duluth Aviation Institute, Duluth, MN
• Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, TN
• Kentucky Institute for Aerospace Education, Frankfort, KY
• LightHawk, Lander, WY
• Pilots N Paws, Landrum, SC
• Recreational Aviation Foundation, Bozeman, MT
• Veterans Airlift Command, Minneapolis, MN
• Young Aviators, Racine, WI

“This program was developed to spotlight the good work being done in the GA community,” said Stephanie Kenyon, the AOPA Foundation’s vice president of strategic philanthropy. “It’s also our way of supporting those groups that are making a difference through charitable programs that rely on general aviation.”

Some of the grants will directly support the operating needs of the organizations. Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge, for instance, was given a grant to develop an aviation program for girls. The Veterans Airlift Command is going to use the funds to support a program director position.

The Young Aviators of Racine received a grant to offset the cost of three training aircraft for a youth Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program. The Kentucky Institute of Aerospace Education will also use grant funds to support a STEM program for students in 22 high schools. The Duluth Aviation Institute is also going to use “Giving Back” funds to “expand AeroSTEM curriculum into Duluth schools.”

Some of the funds are related to expanding or advancing a group’s operating knowledge. Pilots and Paws is going to fund two annual “fly-away outreach events.” The Recreational Aviation Foundation, which promotes back-country flying, was given a grant to conduct “scientific research into the stress-related effects of aircraft noise on wildlife.”

Through tax-deductible donations, the AOPA Foundation is able to fund efforts to ensure a bright future for general aviation, including improving aviation safety, expanding the pilot population, and preserving community airports. AOPA membership dues alone cannot support these important initiatives, and so donations to the AOPA Foundation play an extremely critical role in helping take on GA’s most challenging issues.

For more information on the Giving Back grant program, please visit:  http://www.aopa.org/foundation/giving-back-program.html

About AOPA
Since 1939, AOPA has protected the freedom to fly for thousands of pilots, aircraft owners and aviation enthusiasts. With a membership base of nearly 400,000, AOPA is the largest aviation association in the world. With representatives based in Frederick, Md., Washington, D.C., and seven regions across the United States, AOPA provides member services that range from advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels to legal services, flight planning products, safety programs and award-winning media products. To learn more, visit www.aopa.org.  

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