September 2020 update from Chairman and President & CEO

September 25, 2020

As we approach the final quarter of 2020, we are reflecting on all that has changed this year. A global pandemic, an economic crisis, and a national conversation about institutional racism have converged to make it feel like the earth has shifted under our feet. Unfortunately, these challenges are impacting working families, children, and our most vulnerable neighbors the hardest¹. 

The mission of the American Savings Foundation is to strengthen the community by supporting education, human services, and the arts, with a special emphasis on the needs of children, youth, and families. This has not, and will never, change. This is our lasting commitment. We are continuing to honor this mission by meeting critical new needs, as well as maintaining support for essential programs and services that have been core to our work for nearly 25 years. 

In some key areas of our response, we have:

1. Deployed nearly $350,000 in new and increased funding for immediate needs such as food, energy assistance, and collaborative funds designed specifically to respond to Covid-19.
2. Continued to support youth during the hours when they’re not in school.  This year we are preparing for more challenges and greater need than ever. Through the tremendous dedication of our nonprofit partners, we were able to fund summer programs for middle and high school youth that ran safely while providing job readiness skills and career experience. This fall, we project that nearly all the after school programs we support will continue to provide a safe place for teens to grow, develop new skills, and build strong, positive friendships that will help them navigate the years into adulthood.
3. Simplified our application process and reduced restrictions on funding to give organizations more flexibility as they navigate this crisis. 
4. Worked closely with our nearly 350 Robert T. Kenney Scholars to assist them as they prepare for and transition back to a fall semester unlike any other, with new challenges, but also with great opportunity. 

5. Stayed consistent with our long-term strategic planning by limiting proposals for large,  multi-year capital campaigns.  We continue to accept letters of intent for one-time capital needs that are essential to an organization's core programs and services.   

As we prepare for the future, we are working to further streamline our application process for both grants and scholarships. Over the coming months, we plan to re-launch and expand our online applications across all our giving areas. Future announcements about when the online applications will open for 2021 will be issued later this year.  Current proposal information and 2020 applications deadlines are available on our website at https://www.asfdn.org/grants.

 ¹https://unitedforalice.org/COVID19

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