AMA FOUNDATION FUNDING
By Rusty Kennedy, AMA Foundation Chairman | rusty k716@gmail.com
Wow, time flies by fast. I’m writing this in November 2022 for the February 2023 Model Aviation issue. We’ve already had the 2023 AMA presidential election, and the AMA Foundation met its 2022 donation goals. Thank you to everyone who donated. Remember, no amount is too small and donations are accepted year-round.
I’ve stated this in each column, but my favorite way to donate is through the Torchbearer program (https://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amafoundation/pass-the-torch). I personally donate $100 each month to support the AMA educational programs and club grants that are provided throughout the year by this program.
I also use AmazonSmile, which is easy and free to use. AmazonSmile donates 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. If you would like to participate, please go to https://smile.amazon.com, select Academy of Model Aeronautics Foundation as your charity, and start shopping.
Throughout 2022, the AMA Foundation was able to provide funding to several clubs that applied for grants. A total of $55,151.91 in Flying Site Improvement grants was given to 41 AMA chartered clubs. Seventeen clubs received $14,050 in Take off And Grow grants to help educate the general public about model aviation and bring in new AMA members to the clubs.
Additionally, 14 clubs received $1,625 in Club Recognition and Reward grants for news articles and local radio and television news where the AMA was mentioned; furthermore, 15 clubs received $7,500 in Disaster Relief grants for repairing damages from natural disasters.
Currently, the AMA Foundation staff is busy working on the 2023 Flying Site Improvement Grants that have been submitted. I thank Randy Cameron and his team of 11 volunteers (one AMA member from each district) for tackling the task of scoring the numerous applications. Applications are accepted until February 1, 2023, and can be found at https://modelaircraft.secure-platform.com/a/page/grants/flyingsiteimprov....
The AMA Foundation staff—Steve Haston, Rachelle Haughn, and Austin Perlee—are doing well and are working on various programs. Please see some of the exciting updates that we would like to share.
Grants: Steve and Rachelle attended a grant workshop hosted by Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. They are also acquiring tools, such as Grant Station, to help research and identify new grant opportunities for AMA. We recently secured a $49,000 museum grant. The AMA Foundation is currently working with the museum to submit two more grants to secure much-needed museum staffing.
AMA Walk of Fame: Staff is working on repairs and improvements to the AMA Walk of Fame, located at AMA Headquarters in Muncie. The goal is to have those finalized before next year’s flying season. They are also working with new, more affordable brick vendors to reduce the overhead, allowing more donations to go directly to programming. Thanks to a donation by Rich and Anne Hanson, the AMA Foundation gave away a handcrafted quilt during a Veterans Day brick sale.
Bequests: Rachelle and Steve went to Indianapolis for training and explored ideas on how to better market, incentivize, secure, and capitalize on bequests. I’m excited to see what new ideas they will bring to the AMA Foundation.
I’m excited about the direction of the AMA Foundation, and I am sure that 2023 will be another great year.
Although belated, I congratulate Rich Hanson on his reelection as AMA’s president, and to all of the others who were elected to fill volunteer leadership positions.
