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Aero Club Foundation of Washington

The Aero Club established a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) foundation in 1995 -- the Aero Club Foundation of Washington. All members of the Aero Club's Board of Governors and its officers serve as members of the Board of Directors and officers, respectively, of the Aero Club Foundation of Washington.   An Executive Committee of the Foundation Board was established in early 2003 to provide more focus and energy to the affairs of the Foundation.  

The Foundation was established to assume and expand fundraising efforts the Aero Club had undertaken in the past to support aviation education programs in the District of Columbia. An early program (pre-Foundation) created summer jobs for students interested in aviation, which was coordinated with the National Air & Space Museum and with local aviation-related government agencies and industry trade associations. The Board decided to establish a tax-exempt foundation in order to encourage corporations, individuals, and associations to make tax-exempt contributions to the Club's efforts on behalf of aviation education.  

The kick-off event for the Foundation was a "Celebration of Aviation" held at Washington D.C.'s National Airport in September 1998.   The event, held at the Signature Flight Support facility, was widely attended and included a static display of modern and classic aircraft.   Its success enabled the Foundation to sponsor three separate aviation education initiatives in 1999.   

Here is a representative list of initiatives the Foundation has sponsored since then that support and foster aviation education in Washington schools:

• Cardozo High School's TransTech Academy aviation curriculum, which has received $8,000 in grants over the years.   Cardozo is one of the few D.C. schools with an aviation/transportation curriculum and was the recipient of flight scholarships from the Aero Club as far back as 1970.
• A summer aviation career camp in conjunction with the US Naval Sea Cadets Corps - including support for interns learning the art of aircraft restoration at the National Air & Space Museum's Garber Facility.
• Field trips for students who are training to be aircraft mechanics at the University of the District of Columbia's Aerospace Technology program, which also has a facility at National Airport. Students visited the National Transportation Safety Board's New York reconstruction site of the TWA #800 aircraft accident. Through such visits, students learned the art and science of reconstructing aircraft accidents, the lessons of which are used to help the industry minimize the number of future accidents.
• Stuart-Hobson magnet school has a program for eighth graders that teaches how lessons in history, math, and science are applicable to careers in aviation. The course includes visits to the Air & Space Museum, UDC's facility at National Airport, talks by members of the Tuskegee Airmen, and study of women's contributions to aviation.

Fundraising is crucial to the success of the Foundation. The focus in this area has been individual members of the Aero Club and Washington-based aerospace trade associations that are allied with the Aero Club. The Foundation solicits contributions to its endowment fund as well as to its annual fund. The goal is to establish an endowment large enough so that a major source of money for grants comes from interest earnings from the endowment.

These organizations made contributions to the Aero Club Foundation in
2006: Aeronautical Repair Station Association, Air Transport Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Airports Consultants Council; American Association of Airport Executives, Cargo Airline Association, Flight Safety Foundation, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Greater Washington Business Aviation Association, International Association of Women in Aviation, JetBlue Airlines, Metropolitan Washington Airports Association, National Air Transportation Association, National Aircraft Resale Association, National Association of State Aviation Officials, National Business Aviation Association, Regional Airline Association, and Signature Flight Support -- plus numerous private individual contributions. The Aero Club and Aero Club Foundation are very appreciative of these generous donations.

The Foundation is proud to fund programs in the District of Columbia that advance aviation education and help prepare tomorrow's leaders in the aviation and aerospace industries. If you would like to support the Foundation, please contact us at (703) 327-7082, or by e-mail at aeroclub@erols.com.