ASHFoundation Milestones

see also:
Feature l 2004 Funding l Support

1939

Demosthenes Club of the Speech Clinic at the University of Iowa established as the Stuttering Research Foundation, with Demosthenes Clubs throughout the country as local chapters.

1945 - 1946

The Foundation became arm of the American Speech Correction Association. Name changed to the Speech Pathology Research Foundation, then Speech Correction Research Foundation. First research grant of $875 awarded to William Love.

1948

Name refined to the Speech Correction Foundation to correspond to dual mission:

to plan and scientific research
to encourage the professional training of an increasing number of "speech correctionists"

1950

Association voted to establish a $500 Speech Correction Fund scholarship that marked the beginning of a formal scholarship program.

1956

Foundation was transferred to the American Speech and Hearing Association's organizational structure. Foundation was officially incorporated in the state of Kansas as a part of ASHA's incorporation. Renamed American Speech and Hearing Foundation. (In 1979 became American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation.)

1981

Foundation was revitalized under the leadership of Frank R. Kleffner who served as president from 1981-1984 and as trustee from 1985-1988. Formal giving programs were established, including donor levels and corporate sponsor opportunities. Grants and scholarships disbursed at $1,000 per award and increased a decade later to minimum of $4,000 per award; multiple awards and special project programs initiated during this tenure.

1988

The joint committee between ASHA and the Foundation discussed roles, interactions, and mutual expectations and established (in a formal document) initial philosophical points of agreement and understanding.