A new non-profit, Charitable Aviation Foundation now provides funding support for volunteer pilot organizations engaged in compassionate airlift and public benefit flights for people, patients, animals, and communities.
According to officials with the New Orleans-based foundation, there are around 100 volunteer pilot organizations (VPOs) around the country that operate more than 50,000 compassionate airlift and public benefit flights each year towards patient transport, animal rescue, disaster airlift, community support, and conservation monitoring.
The foundation raises money from aviation and non-aviation companies and individuals to provide funding for these VPOs towards hiring the staff to facilitate expansion and volunteer pilot recruitment, as well as purchase the software and administrative systems required to optimize community coordination and mission management, according to Jay Taffet, founder of the Charitable Aviation Foundation.
“There are thousands of pilots around the country that volunteer their time and aircraft towards compassionate airlift and public benefit flights, and the organizations that match these volunteer pilots and humanitarian missions are indispensable to the wider nonprofit community,” he said. “Unfortunately, there is very little funding visibility for these VPOs and, thus, a shortage of funds to expand their mission and impact. We started the foundation to change that.”
The Charitable Aviation Foundation funds the volunteer pilot organizations by issuing grants based on need and detailed funding applications. The new foundation only supports nonprofit volunteer pilot groups that meet or exceed the organizational standards established by the Air Care Alliance, the industry leading advocate for public benefit flying, Taffet noted.
For more information: CharitableAviation.org.