Join with other generous donors who have given to support the AAR COVID-19 Crisis Fund.
April 21, 2020
Dear AAR Colleagues,
We trust you are safe and sound during this challenging time. We all are experiencing a deep level of concern about health—physical, emotional, and financial—of family, friends, colleagues, and all humanity. And, while we know we alone cannot do all the good that needs to be done right now, we can each do our part to contribute to what is good in this world.
Inspired by the efforts of our sibling learned society, the MLA, which has launched a matching challenge to fund COVID-19 emergency grants, the AAR is establishing the AAR COVID-19 Crisis Fund to provide a financial benefit for some of our AAR members who are more adversely impacted financially by the pandemic crisis. The AAR COVID-19 Crisis Fund will provide mini-grants to AAR members who have lost a significant portion of their income. This grant program seeks to include rather than exclude. The AAR recognizes that various scenarios could be present for members, whether they are, for example, contingent faculty members teaching part-time with no other financial support; graduate students working in restaurants to generate support for living expenses; independent/applied religious studies scholars who have lost a large portion of their income, or members living in other circumstances unduly affected by the pandemic crisis.
We invite you as an AAR member to contribute to the AAR COVID-19 Crisis Fund. We already have seed funding from current and former AAR Board members, lifetime members, and other generous donors. We hope to build a substantial fund that will allow us to provide mini-grants of $500 per grantee, dispensed on a lottery basis, to help ease the burdens of those affected by this pandemic crisis. While this fund cannot provide continuing sustenance for members in crisis situations, the hope is to provide $500 per grantee in order to provide a small bridge during a difficult situation. In an effort to get the funds to as many members in need as possible, the criteria will be:
-
current AAR member
-
has incurred loss of a significant portion of income due to the pandemic
We hope your generosity to the AAR COVID-19 Crisis Fund will help make a difference in the lives of our members who need support during this time. Please click on this link to make a donation. This will take you to our regular donation page. As you select your gift amount and include the pertinent information, you will notice a drop-down menu at the bottom of the page titled Program to Benefit. Please click on the AAR COVID-19 Crisis Fund option.
We would like to award a first round of grants in May so, if you are in a position to help, please make your online donation soon.
If you do not wish to donate online, please contact Alice Hunt (ahunt@aarweb.org) about where to send your check. And, if you have any questions or would like to discuss this, please contact Alice Hunt (ahunt@aarweb.org).
Best wishes in this challenging time,
José Cabezón, AAR President
Alice Hunt, Executive Director