AAF American Advertising Foundation
The American Advertising Federation (AAF) announced today the launch of an all-new charitable arm – the AAF Foundation. The 501(c)(3) was created to help AAF deliver on its mission to prepare and connect diverse talent to the advertising, media and marketing industries via a focus on education and lifelong learning, and diversity, equity and inclusion. Through the Foundation, new revenue streams, such as event-driven donations, public and non-profit grants, employee matching funds and honorariums, will now become available. “For more than 100 years, the AAF has served as the only organization that includes members across all disciplines and career levels. We are the ‘unifying voice for advertising,'” said Steve Pacheco, President and CEO, American Advertising Federation. He continued, “Over the years, a major focus of our efforts has been education and diversity – driven largely via our Mosaic Center multicultural and diversity initiatives. Now, with the launch of our AAF Foundation, we will be able to build and expand upon these efforts.”In addition, one of the AAF’s student-focused education programs – the Student Advertising Career Conference (SACC) – will now reside under the AAF Foundation. The SACC provides students with an opportunity to learn about the field of advertising and help ignite careers. “In a climate where the implementation of diversity, equity and inclusion practices are more needed than ever, the philanthropic efforts of the AAF Foundation will act as a necessary conduit of change for the individuals and communities that we serve through our programs,” said Candace Queen, VP of AAF’s Mosaic Center who will oversee the diversity initiatives of the AAF Foundation. “We’ll continue our commitment to being on the right side of history and challenging each other towards continued growth and advancement in creating a more inclusive society.”
