Challenge Grant

AAJA 25th ANNIVERSARY ENDOWMENT: HELP US RAISE OUR FIRST $1 MILLION!

In the fall of 2004, AAJA officially launched a two-year, $2 million 25th Anniversary Endowment campaign, aimed at ensuring the stability of our programs and services for many years to come. Endowment proceeds will enable AAJA to continue to train high school students, award scholarship and internship grants to aspiring journalists, provide fellowships and opportunities to our professional members, increase the pool of Asian American and Pacific Islander newsroom managers and ensure fair and accurate news coverage of AAPI communities and issues.

Thanks to the generosity of foundations, media companies and executives, community members and supporters and our own AAJA chapters and members, we have raised -- as of March 1, 2006 -- over $830,000 in Endowment pledges and contributions.

Here's some good news:

The Ford Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation have awarded AAJA a new Challenge Grant to help us achieve our Endowment goal.

From now until June 1, 2006, individual donations as well as chapter donations to the AAJA 25th Anniversary Endowment will be matched by the foundations. If AAJA raises $150,000 by June 1, 2006, we will receive a matching grant of $100,000.

In order to qualify for this matching grant, Endowment donations should come from:

• New individual donors who have not contributed to the first AAJA Challenge Fund in 2003-2004.
• AAJA Chapters that have not contributed to the first AAJA Challenge Fund.
• Individual donors who have contributed to the First Challenge Fund but are contributing an increased amount to this round of Challenge Fund.
• AAJA Chapters that have contributed to the first AAJA Challenge Fund but are contributing an increased amount to this round of Challenge Fund.

We are very close to achieving our first $1M under our 25th Anniversary Endowment Campaign. With this new opportunity from the Challenge Fund for Journalism, our fundraising goal is even within closer reach, with your help.

Here's how you can accept this challenge: Complete an AAJA 25th Anniversary Endowment pledge card and send it to the national office. Please call or email the national office for a pledge card OR download a pledge card from the AAJA national Web site. Donate to the Endowment Campaign online at www.aaja.org For more information about the AAJA 25th Anniversary Endowment or AAJA Challenge Fund for Journalism II, contact Rene Astudillo, AAJA executive director, at ReneA@aaja.org or (415) 346-2051