The Sporty’s Foundation made bequests totaling $161,000 during 2020 to fulfill its goal to attract young people to the aviation community both as a career and a lifestyle.
The foundation also supports organizations and museums that preserve the history of aviation for future generations, according to its most recent report.
The Sporty’s Foundation continues as a major sponsor of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles program from a financial commitment to complement Sporty’s making its Learn to Fly course available at no charge to all Young Eagles.
The Sporty’s Foundation also continues its focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) activities, by financing more than a dozen scholarships to young people pursuing an aviation course of academic study and flight training.
This past year also saw a $20,000 bequest to the University of Cincinnati to provide aviation scholarships. An additional $10,000 was donated to the AOPA Foundation “You Can Fly Challenge,” a suite of programs designed to make flying more accessible and affordable.
Several new scholarship programs were also established, including the FlyGIRL/Women in Aviation Scholarship, the Flight Crew Scholarship program, and the Dave Stahl Memorial Checkride Scholarship.
“We are proud of our no-overhead administration of our foundation and encourage donors and potential donors to examine our IRS Form 990, which we have posted at the foundation’s website,” said Sporty’s Founder and Chairman Hal Shevers. “Sporty’s assumes 100% of those administrative expenses so every donated dollar goes directly to the programs we support.”
Online contributions are being accepted, either as a one-time payment or a recurring monthly donation. As a 501(c)(3) foundation, all donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.