Contributions to the AAPG Foundation are up 58 percent over this time last year, with support this year through Aug. 31 now topping $1,376,813.
Contributions to the AAPG Foundation are up 58 percent over this time last year, with support this year through Aug. 31 now topping $1,376,813.
Bequests made up a significant portion of gifts, and many donors are faithful to provide regular support to the Foundation’s ongoing programs.
For many, donations also accompany payment of their AAPG dues, and the Foundation Trustees gratefully report that so far this year over $76,000 has been received in this manner.
And thanks to many dedicated contributors, the Foundation’s operating fund now covers the entire cost of operating the AAPG Foundation. This means that 100 percent of gifts go directly toward the purpose designated without the need to set aside a portion to cover administrative or overhead costs.
Thank you for your response to our various requests for Foundation support!
Memorial Grants are used to fund the Foundation’s Grants-in-Aid program, which fosters research in the geosciences. Grants are made to provide financial assistance to graduate students (currently enrolled in master’s or doctorate programs) whose thesis research has application to the search for and development of petroleum and energy-mineral resources and/or to related environmental geology issues.
Although awards are announced in the spring (with recipients listed on the Foundation’s website), contributions are received year-round.
One fund that received a significant contribution this month was the James E. Hooks Memorial Grant.
Jim was an energy industry leader of his time and had a lifelong commitment to education. He sought and applied new technology, but never lost his strong belief that oil and gas are found in the minds of people.
In a fitting tribute from his friends and family, a named scholarship lives on within the Grants-in-Aid program designated for students at his two alma maters of Florida State University and Texas A&M University.
The Trustee Associates welcome three new members to its roster. They are:
- Marty Hewitt, Houston.
- Priscilla Grew, Lincoln, Neb.
- James Henderson, Dallas.
Members of AAPG who are invited by three Trustee Associates are eligible to join by virtue of their $15,000 contribution to the AAPG Foundation. This contribution may be given over a five-year period and is tax-deductible to U.S. taxpayers, since the Foundation is a qualified 501(c)(3) public foundation under IRS tax code.
Finally, Trustee Associates Stewart Welch, Jimmie Herrington, Mark Wilson, Sid Bonner and Michael Shearn all passed away in the last few months. We are sorry to lose them, and we honor their memory on a special website.